BX  5133    .K5  G6  1885 
Kingsley,   Charles,  1819- 
1875. 

The  good  news  of  God 


Digitized  by 

the  Internet  Archive 

in  2015 

https://archive.org/details/goodnewsofgodserOOking_0 


WORKS  OF  CHARLES  KINGSLEY 

VOLUME  XXIV 

THE  GOOD  NEWS  OF  GOD 


•2  *  


THE 


GOOD  NEWS  OF  GOD 


SERMONS 


BY 

CHARLES "KINGSLEY,  MA. 


ITonbon 

MACMILLAN  AND  CO. 

1885 


[r/ie  Right  0/  Translation  is  Rrscrvrd] 


CONTENTS. 


SERMON  PAGE 

I.   THE  BEATIFIC  VISION   I 

i  II.  THE  GLORY  OF  THE  CROSS  IO 

III.  THE  LIFE  OF  GOD   l6 

IV.  THE  SONG  OF  THE  THREE  CHILDREN     .         .  26 
'   V.   THE  ETERNAL  GOODNESS   34 

VI.  WORSHIP   43 

VII.   GOD'S  INHERITANCE   SI 

I  VIII.  'de  profundis'   57 

IX.   THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  ITS  OWN  REWARD      .        .  67 

X.  THE  RACE  OF  LIFE   73 

XI.   SELF-RESPECT  AND  SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS        .  84 

XII.   TRUE  REPENTANCE   94 

XIII.  THE  LETTER  AND  THE  SPIRIT         .        .        .  105 

XIV.  HEROES  AND  HEROINES   1 16 

XV.   THE  MEASURE  OF  THE  CROSS  .         .        .         .  1 24 

XVI.  THE  PURE  IN  HEART   132 

'  XVII.  MUSIC   I40 

-   XVIII.   THE  CHRIST  CHILD   1 48 

/   XIX.  CHRIST'S  BOYHOOD   1 55 


CONTENTS. 

SERMON  PAGE 

XX.  THE  LOCUST-SWARMS  l6l 

XXI.  SALVATION  1 69 

XXII.  THE  BEGINNING  AND  END  OF  WISDOM       .  174 

XXIII.  HUMAN  NATURE  l8l 

XXIV.  THE  CHARITY  OF  GOD  I90 

XXV.  THE  DAYS  OF  THE  WEEK     .        .        .  .195 

XXVI.  THE  HEAVENLY  FATHER       ....  203 

XXVII.  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD  211 

XXVIII.   DARK  TIMES  219 

XXIX  GOD'S  CREATION  229 

XXX.  TRUE  PRUDENCE  236 

XXXI.  THE  PENITENT  THIEF  249 

XXXII.  THE  TEMPER  OF  CHRIST     .        .        .  .258 

XXXIII.  THE  FRIEND  OF  SINNERS    .        .        .  .268 

XXXIV.  THE  SEA  OF  GLASS  278 

XXXV.  A  GOD  IN  PAIN  291 

XXXVI.  ON  THE  FALL  297 

XXXVII.  THE  WORTHY  COMMUNICANT       .        .        .  304 

XXXVIII.  OUR  DESERTS  3IO 

XXXIX  THE  LOFTINESS  OF  GOD        .        .        .  .317 


SERMON  I. 


THE  BEATIFIC  VISION. 

Matthew  xxii.  27. 

Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with 
all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind. 

'"PHESE  words  often  puzzle  and  pain  really  good 
people,  because  they  seem  to  put  the  hardest  duty 
first.  It  seems,  at  times,  so  much  more  easy  to  love 
one's  neighbour  than  to  love  God.  And  strange  as  it 
may  seem,  that  is  partly  true.  St.  John  tells  us  so — '  He 
that  loves  not  his  brother  whom  he  hath  seen,  how  can 
he  love  God  whom  he  hath  not  seen  ?'  Therefore  many 
good  people,  who  really  do  love  God,  are  unhappy  at 
times  because  they  feel  that  they  do  not  love  him  enough. 
They  say  in  their  hearts — 'I  wish  to  do  right,  and  I  try 
to  do  it :  but  I  am  afraid  I  do  not  do  it  from  love  to 
God.' 

I  think  that  they  are  often  too  hard  upon  themselves. 
I  believe  that  they  are  very  often  loving  God  with  their 
whole  hearts,  when  they  think  that  they  are  not  doing  so. 
But  still,  it  is  well  to  be  afraid  of  oneself,  and  dissatisfied 
with  oneself. 

I  think,  too — nay,  I  am  certain — that  many  good 
people  do  not  love  God  as  they  ought,  and  as  they 

.(<-  B 


2 


THE  BEATIFIC  VISION. 


[SERM. 


would  wish  to  do,  because  they  have  not  been  rightly 
taught  who  God  is,  and  what  He  is  like.  They  have  not 
been  taught  that  God  is  loveable ;  they  have  been  taught 
that  God  feels  feelings,  and  does  deeds,  which  if  a  man 
felt,  or  did,  we  should  call  him  arbitrary,  proud,  revenge- 
ful, cruel :  and  yet  they  are  told  to  love  him ;  and  they 
do  not  know  how  to  love  such  a  being  as  that.  Nor  do 
I  either,  my  friends. 

Let  us  therefore  think  over  to-day  for  ourselves  why 
we  ought  to  love  God ;  and  why  both  Bible  and  Cate- 
chism bid  child  as  well  as  man  to  love  the  Lord  our  God 
with  all  our  hearts,  souls,  and  minds,  before  they  bid  us 
love  our  neighbours.  And  keep  this  in  mind  all  through, 
that  the  reason  why  we  are  to  love  God  must  depend 
upon  what  God's  character  is.  For  you  cannot  love  any 
one  because  you  are  told  to  love  them.  You  can  only 
love  them  because  they  are  loveable  and  worthy  of  your 
love.  And  that  they  will  not  be,  unless  they  are  loving 
themselves ;  as  it  is  written,  we  love  God  because  he  first 
loved  us. 

Now,  friends,  look  at  this  one  thing  first.  When  we 
see  any  man  do  a  just  action,  or  a  kind  action,  do  we 
not  like  to  see  it  ?  Do  we  not  like  the  man  the  better 
for  doing  it  ?  A  man  must  be  sunk  very  low  in  stupidity 
and  ill-feeling — dead  in  tresspasses  and  sins,  as  the  Bible 
calls  it — if  he  does  not.  Indeed,  I  never  saw  the  man 
yet,  however  bad  he  was  himself,  who  did  not,  in  his 
better  moments,  admire  what  was  right  and  good ;  and 
say,  '  Bad  as  I  may  be,  that  man  is  a  good  man,  and  I 
wish  I  could  do  as  he  does.' 


THE  BEATIFIC  VISION. 


3 


One  sees  the  same,  but  far  more  strongly,  in  little 
children.  From  their  earliest  years,  as  far  as  I  have  ever 
seen,  children  like  and  admire  what  is  good,  even  though 
they  be  naughty  themselves ;  and  if  you  tell  them  of  any 
very  loving,  generous,  or  brave  action,  their  hearts  leap 
up  in  answer  to  it.  They  feel  at  once  how  beautiful 
goodness  is. 

But  why  ? 

St.  John  tells  us.  That  feeling  comes,  he  tells  us, 
from  Christ,  the  light  who  is  the  life  of  men,  and  lights 
every  man  who  comes  into  the  world ;  and  that  light  in 
our  hearts,  which  makes  us  see,  and  admire,  and  love 
what  is  good,  is  none  other  than  Christ  himself  shining 
in  our  hearts,  and  showing  to  us  his  own  likeness,  and 
the  beauty  thereof. 

But  if  we  stop  there ;  if  we  only  admire  what  is  good, 
without  trying  to  copy  it,  we  shall  lose  that  light.  Our 
corrupt  and  diseased  nature  (and  corrupt  and  diseased  it 
is,  as  we  shall  surely  find,  as  soon  as  we  begin  to  try  to 
do  right)  will  quench  that  heavenly  spark  in  us  more  and 
more,  till  it  dies  out — as  God  forbid  that  it  should  die 
out  in  any  of  us.  For  if  it  did  die  out,  we  should  care 
no  more  for  what  is  good.  We  should  see  nothing 
beautiful,  and  noble,  and  glorious,  in  being  just,  and 
loving,  and  merciful.  And  then,  indeed,  we  should  see 
nothing  worth  loving  in  God  himself : — and  it  were  better 
for  us  that  we  had  never  been  born. 

But  none  of  us,  I  trust,  are  fallen  as  low  as  that. 
We  all,  surely,  admire  a  good  action,  and  love  a  good 
man.  Surely  we  do.  Then  I  will  go  on,  to  ask  you  one 
question  more. 


4 


THE  BEATIFIC  VISION. 


[SERM. 


Did  it  ever  strike  you,  that  goodness  is  not  merely  a 
beautiful  thing,  but  the  beautiful  thing — by  far  the  most 
beautiful  thing  in  the  world;  and  that  badness  is  not 
merely  an  ugly  thing,  but  the  ugliest  thing  in  the  world  ? 
— So  that  nothing  is  to  be  compared  for  value  with  good- 
ness ;  that  riches,  honour,  power,  pleasure,  learning,  the 
whole  world  and  all  in  it,  are  not  worth  having,  in  com- 
parison with  being  good ;  and  the  utterly  best  thing  for 
a  man  is  to  be  good,  even  though  he  were  never  to  be 
rewarded  for  it :  and  the  utterly  worst  thing  for  a  man  is 
to  be  bad,  even  though  he  were  never  to  be  punished  for 
it;  and,  in  a  word,  goodness  is  the  only  thing  worth 
loving,  and  badness  the  only  thing  worth  hating. 

Did  you  ever  feel  this,  my  friends  ?  Happy  are  those 
among  you  who  have  felt  it ;  for  of  you  the  Lord  says, 
Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteous- 
ness ;  for  they  shall  be  filled.  Ay,  happy  are  you  who 
have  felt  it;  for  it  is  the  sign,  the  very  and  true  sign, 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  who  is  the  Spirit  of  good- 
ness, is  working  in  your  hearts  with  power,  revealing  to 
you  the  exceeding  beauty  of  holiness,  and  the  exceeding 
sinfulness  of  sin. 

But  did  it  never  strike  you  besides,  that  goodness  was 
one,  and  everlasting?    Let  me  explain  what  I  mean. 

Did  you  never  see,  that  all  good  men  show  their 
goodness  in  the  same  way,  by  doing  the  same  kind  of 
good  actions  ?  Let  them  be  English  or  French,  black  or 
white,  if  they  be  good,  there  is  the  same  honesty,  the 
same  truthfulness,  the  same  love,  the  same  mercy  in  all ; 
and  what  is  right  and  good  for  you  and  me,  now  and 


THE  BEATIFIC  VISION. 


5 


here,  is  right  and  good  for  every  man,  everywhere,  and 
at  all  times  for  ever.  Surely,  surely,  what  is  noble,  and 
loveable,  and  admirable  now,  was  so  five  thousand  years 
ago,  and  will  be  five  thousand  years  hence.  What  is 
honourable  for  us  here,  would  be  equally  honourable  for 
us  in  America  or  Australia — ay,  or  in  the  farthest  star  in 
the  skies. 

But,  some  of  you  may  say,  men  at  different  times  and 
in  different  countries  have  had  very  different  notions — 
indeed  quite  opposite  notions,  of  what  men  ought  to  be. 

I  know  that  some  people  say  so.  I  can  only  answer 
that  I  differ  from  them.  True,  some  men  have  had  less 
light  than  others,  and,  God  knows,  have  made  fearful 
mistakes  enough,  and  fancied  that  they  could  please  God 
by  behaving  like  devils :  but  on  the  first  principles  of 
goodness,  all  the  world  has  been  pretty  well  agreed  all 
along ;  for  wherever  men  have  been  taught  what  is  really 
right,  there  have  been  plenty  of  hearts  to  answer,  '  Yes, 
this  is  good !  this  is  what  we  have  wanted  all  along, 
though  we  knew  it  not.'  And  all  the  wisest  men  among 
the  heathen — the  men  who  have  been  honoured,  and 
even  worshipped  as  blessings  to  their  fellow  men,  have 
agreed,  one  and  all,  in  the  great  and  golden  rule,  '  Thou 
shalt  love  God,  with  all  thy  heart  and  soul,  and  thy 
neighbour  as  thyself.' 

Believe  about  this  as  you  may,  my  friends,  still  I 
believe,  and  will  believe;  I  preach,  and  will  preach, 
this,  and  nought  else  but  this : — That  there  is  but  one 
everlasting  goodness,  which  is  good  in  men,  good  in  all 
rational  beings — yea,  good  in  God  himself. 


6  THE  BEATIFIC  VISION.  [SERM. 


These  last  are  solemn  words,  but  they  are  true ;  and 
the  more  you  think  over  them,  the  more,  I  tell  you,  will 
you  find  them  true.  And  to  them  I  have  been  trying  to 
lead  you ;  and  will  try  once  more. 

For,  did  it  never  strike  you,  again — as  it  has  me — and 
all  the  world  has  looked  different  to  me  since  I  found  it 
out — that  there  must  be  ONE,  in  whom  all  goodness  is 
gathered  together;  ONE,  who  must  be  perfectly  and  ab- 
solutely good  ?  And  did  it  never  strike  you,  that  all  the 
goodness  in  the  world  must,  in  some  way  or  other,  come 
from  HIM?  I  believe  that  our  hearts  and  reasons,  if 
we  will  listen  fairly  to  them,  tell  us  that  it  must  be  so ; 
and  I  am  certain  that  the  Bible  tells  us  so,  from  be- 
ginning to  end.  When  we  see  the  million  rain-drops  of 
the  shower,  we  say,  with  reason,  there  must  be  one  great 
sea  from  which  all  these  drops  have  come.  When  we 
see  the  countless  rays  of  light,  we  say,  with  reason,  there 
must  be  one  great  central  sun  from  which  all  these  are 
shed  forth.  And  when  we  see,  as  it  were,  countless 
drops,  and  countless  rays  of  goodness  scattered  about  in 
the  world,  a  little  good  in  this  man,  and  a  little  good  in 
that,  shall  we  not  say,  there  must  be  one  great  sea,  one 
central  sun  of  goodness,  from  whence  all  human  good- 
ness comes  ?  And  where  can  that  centre  of  goodness  be, 
but  in  the  very  character  of  God  himself? 

Yes,  my  friends ;  if  you  would  know  what  God  is, 
think  of  all  the  noble,  beautiful,  loveable  actions,  tempers, 
feelings,  which  you  ever  saw  or  heard  of.  Think  of  all 
the  good,  and  admirable,  and  loveable  people  whom  you 
ever  met;  and  fancy  to  yourselves  all  that  goodness, 


L] 


THE  BEATIFIC  VISION. 


7 


nobleness,  admirableness,  loveableness,  and  millions  of 
times  more,  gathered  together  in  one,  to  make  one 
perfectly  good  character — and  then  you  have  some  faint 
notion  of  God,  some  dim  sight  of  God,  who  is  the  eternal 
and  perfect  Goodness. 

It  is  but  a  faint  notion,  no  doubt,  that  the  best  man 
can  have  of  God's  goodness,  so  dull  has  sin  made  our 
hearts  and  brains  :  but  let  us  comfort  ourselves  with  this 
thought — That  the  more  we  learn  to  love  what  is  good, 
the  more  we  accustom  ourselves  to  think  of  good  people 
and  good  things,  and  to  ask  ourselves  why  and  how  this 
action  and  that  is  good,  the  more  shall  we  be  able  to  see 
the  goodness  of  God.  And  to  see  that,  even  for  a 
moment,  is  worth  all  sights  in  earth  or  heaven. 

Worth  all  sights,  indeed.  No  wonder  that  the  saints 
of  old  called  it  the  '  Beatific  Vision,'  that  is,  the  sight 
which  makes  a  man  utterly  blessed ;  namely,  to  see,  if 
but  for  a  moment,  with  his  mind's  eye  what  God  is  like, 
and  behold  he  is  utterly  good  ! 

No  wonder  that  they  said  (and  I  doubt  not  that  they 
spoke  honestly  and  simply  what  they  felt)  that  while  that 
thought  was  before  them,  this  world  was  utterly  nothing 
to  them ;  that  they  were  as  men  in  a  dream,  or  dead, 
not  caring  to  eat  or  to  move,  for  fear  of  losing  that 
glorious  thought ;  but  felt  as  if  they  were  (as  they  were 
most  really  and  truly)  caught  up  into  heaven,  and  taken 
utterly  out  of  themselves  by  the  beauty  and  glory  of 
God's  perfect  goodness.  No  wonder  that  they  cried  out 
with  David,  '  Whom  have  I  in  heaven,  O  Lord,  but 
Thee?  and  there  is  none  on  earth  whom  I  desire  in 


s 


THE  BEATIFIC  VISION.  [SERM. 


comparison  of  Thee.'  No  wonder  that  they  said  with 
St.  Peter  when  he  saw  our  Lord's  glory,  'Lord,  it  is 
good  for  us  to  be  here,'  and  felt  like  men  gazing  upon 
some  glorious  picture  or  magnificent  show,  off  which  they 
cannot  take  their  eyes ;  and  which  makes  them  forget 
for  the  time  all  beside  in  heaven  and  earth. 

And  it  was  good  for  them  to  be  there :  but  not  too 
long.  Man  was  sent  into  this  world  not  merely  to  see, 
but  to  do ;  and  the  more  he  sees,  the  more  he  is  bound 
to  go  and  do  accordingly.  St.  Peter  had  to  come  down 
from  the  mount,  and  preach  the  Gospel  wearily  for  many 
a  year,  and  die  at  last  upon  the  cross.  St.  Augustine,  in 
like  wise,  though  he  would  gladly  have  lived  and  died 
doing  nothing  but  fixing  his  soul's  eye  steadily  on  the 
glory  of  God's  goodness,  had  to  come  down  from  the 
mount  likewise,  and  work,  and  preach,  and  teach,  and 
wear  himself  out  in  daily  drudgery  for  that  God  whom 
he  learnt  to  serve,  even  when  he  could  not  adore  Him 
in  the  press  of  business,  and  the  bustle  of  a  rotten  and 
dying  world. 

But  see,  my  dear  friends,  and  consider  it  well — Before 
a  man  can  come  to  that  state  of  mind,  or  anything  like 
it,  he  must  have  begun  by  loving  goodness  wherever  he 
saw  it;  and  have  settled  in  his  heart  that  to  be  good, 
and  therefore  to  do  good,  is  the  most  beautiful  thing  in 
the  world.  So  he  will  begin  by  loving  his  brother  whom 
he  has  seen,  and  by  taking  delight  in  good  people,  and 
in  all  honest,  true,  loving,  merciful,  generous  words  and 
actions,  and  in  those  who  say  and  do  them.  And  so  he 
will  be  fit  to  love  God,  whom  he  has  not  seen,  when  he 
finds  out  (as  God  grant  that  you  may  all  find  out)  that 


THE  BEATIFIC  VISION. 


all  goodness  of  which  we  can  conceive,  and  far,  far  more, 
is  gathered  together  in  God,  and  flows  out  from  him 
eternally  over  his  whole  creation,  by  that  Holy  Spirit 
who  proceeds  from  the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  is  the 
Lord  and  Giver  of  life,  and  therefore  of  goodness.  For 
goodness  is  nothing  else,  if  you  will  receive  it,  but  the 
eternal  life  of  God,  which  he  has  lived,  and  lives  now, 
and  will  live  for  evermore,  God  blessed  for  ever.  Amen. 

So,  my  dear  friends,  it  will  not  be  so  difficult  for  you 
to  love  God,  if  you  will  only  begin  by  loving  goodness, 
which  is  God's  likeness,  and  the  inspiration  of  God's 
Holy  Spirit.  For  you  will  be  like  a  man  who  has  long 
admired  a  beautiful  picture  of  some  one  whom  he  does 
not  know,  and  at  last  meets  the  person  for  whom  the 
picture  was  meant — and  behold  the  living  face  is  a  thou- 
sand times  more  fair  and  noble  than  the  painted  one. 
You  will  be  like  a  child  which  has  been  brought  up  from 
its  birth  in  a  room  into  which  the  sun  never  shone ;  and 
then  goes  out  for  the  first  time,  and  sees  the  sun  in  all 
his  splendour  bathing  the  earth  with  glory.  If  that  child 
had  loved  to  watch  the  dim  narrow  rays  of  light  which 
shone  into  his  dark  room,  what  will  he  not  feel  at  the 
sight  of  that  sun  from  which  all  those  rays  had  come ! 
Just  so  will  they  feel  who,  having  loved  goodness  for  its 
own  sake,  and  loved  their  neighbours  for  the  sake  of 
what  little  goodness  is  in  them,  have  their  eyes  opened 
at  last  to  see  all  goodness,  without  flaw  or  failing,  bound 
or  end,  in  the  character  of  God,  which  he  has  shown 
forth  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  who  is  the  likeness  of  his 
Father's  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  person ;  to 
whom  be  glory  and  honour  for  ever.  Amen. 


SERMON  II. 


THE  GLORY  OF  THE  CROSS. 
John  xvii.  i. 

Father,  the  hour  is  come.    Glorify  thy  Son,  that  thy  Son  also 
may  glorify  thee. 

T  SPOKE  to  you  lately  of  the  beatific  vision  of  God. 
I  will  speak  of  it  again  to-day ;  and  say  this. 

If  any  man  wishes  to  see  God,  truly  and  fully,  with 
the  eyes  of  his  soul :  if  any  man  wishes  for  that  beatific 
vision  of  God ;  that  perfect  sight  of  God's  perfect  good- 
ness ;  then  must  that  man  go,  and  sit  down  at  the  foot 
of  Christ's  cross,  and  look  steadfastly  upon  him  who 
hangs  thereon.  And  there  he  will  see,  what  the  wisest 
and  best  among  the  heathen,  among  the  Mussulmans, 
among  all  who  are  not  Christian  men,  never  have  seen, 
and  cannot  see  unto  this  day,  however  much  they  may 
feel  (and  some  of  them,  thank  God,  do  feel)  that  God  is 
the  Eternal  Goodness,  and  must  be  loved  accordingly. 

And  what  shall  we  see  upon  the  cross  ? 

Many  things,  friends,  and  more  than  I,  or  all  the 
preachers  in  the  world,  will  be  able  to  explain  to  you, 
though  we  preached  till  the  end  of  the  world.  But  one 
thing  we  shall  see,  if  we  will,  which  we  have  forgotten 
sadly,  Christians  though  we  be,  in  these  very  days; 


THE  GLORY  OF  THE  CROSS. 


1 1 


forgotten  it,  most  of  us,  so  utterly,  that  in  order  to  bring 
you  back  to  it,  I  must  take  a  seemingly  roundabout  road. 

Does  it  seem,  or  does  it  not  seem,  to  you,  that  the 
finest  thing  in  a  man  is  magnanimity — what  we  call  in 
plain  English,  greatness  of  soul?  And  if  it  does  seem 
to  you  to  be  so,  what  do  you  mean  by  greatness  of  soul  ? 
When  you  speak  of  a  great  soul,  and  of  a  great  man, 
what  manner  of  man  do  you  mean  ? 

Do  you  mean  a  very  clever  man,  a  very  far-sighted 
man,  a  very  determined  man,  a  very  powerful  man,  and 
therefore  a  very  successful  man?  A  man  who  can 
manage  everything,  and  every  person  whom  he  comes 
across,  and  turn  and  use  them  for  his  own  ends,  till 
he  rises  to  be  great  and  glorious — a  ruler,  king,  or  what 
you  will? 

Well — he  is  a  great  man :  but  I  know  a  greater,  and 
nobler,  and  more  glorious  stamp  of  man ;  and  you  do 
also.  Let  us  try  again,  and  think  if  we  can  find  his 
likeness,  and  draw  it  for  ourselves.  Would  he  not  be 
somewhat  like  this  pattern  ? — A  man  who  was  aware  that 
he  had  vast  power,  and  yet  used  that  power  not  for 
himself,  but  for  others ;  not  for  ambition,  but  for  doing 
good  ?  Surely  the  man  who  used  his  power  for  other 
people  would  be  the  greater-souled  man,  would  he  not  ? 
Let  us  go  on,  then,  to  find  out  more  of  his  likeness. 
Would  he  be  stern,  or  would  he  be  tender?  Would  he 
be  patient,  or  would  he  be  fretful  ?  Would  he  be  a  man 
who  stands  fiercely  on  his  own  rights,  or  would  he  be 
very  careful  of  other  men's  rights,  and  very  ready  to 
waive  his  own  rights  gracefully  and  generously  ?  Would 


12  THE  GLORY  OF  THE  CROSS.  [SERM. 


he  be  extreme  to  mark  what  was  done  amiss  against  him, 
or  would  he  be  very  patient  when  he  was  wronged  him- 
self, though  indignant  enough  if  he  saw  others  wronged  ? 
Would  he  be  one  who  easily  lost  his  temper,  and  lost  his 
head,  and  could  be  thrown  off  his  balance  by  one  foolish 
man  ?  Surely  not.  He  would  be  a  man  whom  no  fool, 
nor  all  fools  together  could  throw  off  his  balance  ;  a  man 
who  could  not  lose  his  temper,  could  not  lose  his  self- 
respect;  a  man  who  could  bear  with  those  who  are 
peevish,  make  allowances  for  those  who  are  weak  and 
ignorant,  forgive  those  who  are  insolent,  and  conquer 
those  who  are  ungrateful,  not  by  punishment,  but  by 
fresh  kindness,  overcoming  their  evil  by  his  good. — A 
man,  in  short,  whom  no  ill-usage  without,  and  no  ill- 
temper  within,  could  shake  out  of  his  even  path  of 
generosity  and  benevolence.  Is  not  that  the  truly 
magnanimous  man ;  the  great  and  royal  soul  ?  Is  not 
that  the  stamp  of  man  whom  we  should  admire,  if  we 
met  him  on  earth  ?  Should  we  not  reverence  that  man ; 
esteem  it  an  honour  and  a  pleasure  to  work  under  that 
man,  to  take  him  for  our  teacher,  our  leader,  in  hopes 
that,  by  copying  his  example,  our  souls  might  become 
great  like  his  ? 

Is  it  so,  my  friends?  Then  know  this,  that  in  ad- 
miring that  man,  you  admire  the  likeness  of  God.  In 
wishing  to  be  like  that  man,  you  wish  to  be  like  God. 

For  this  is  God's  true  greatness  ;  this  is  God's  true 
glory ;  this  is  God's  true  royalty ;  the  greatness,  glory, 
and  royalty  of  loving,  forgiving,  generous  power,  which 
pours  itself  out,  untiring  and  undisgusted,  in  help  and 


THE  GLORY  OF  THE  CROSS. 


3 


mercy  to  all  which  he  has  made ;  the  glory  of  a  Father 
who  is  perfect  in  this,  that  he  causeth  his  rain  to  fall  on 
the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  his  sun  to  shine  upon  the 
just  and  on  the  unjust,  and  is  good  to  the  unthankful 
and  the  evil ;  a  Father  who  has  not  dealt  with  us  after 
our  sins,  or  rewarded  us  after  our  iniquities :  a  Father 
who  is  not  extreme  to  mark  what  is  done  amiss,  but 
whom  it  is  worth  while  to  fear,  for  with  him  is  mercy  and 
plenteous  redemption ; — all  this,  and  more — a  Father 
who  so  loved  a  world  which  had  forgotten  him,  a  world 
whose  sins  must  have  been  disgusting  to  him,  that  he 
spared  not  his  only  begotten  Son,  but  freely  gave  him 
for  us,  and  will  with  him  freely  give  us  all  things;  a 
Father,  in  one  word,  whose  name  and  essence  is  love, 
even  as  it  is  the  name  and  essence  of  the  Son  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

This,  my  friends,  is  the  glory  of  God  :  but  this  glory 
never  shone  out  in  its  full  splendour  till  it  shone  upon 
the  cross. 

For — that  we  may  go  back  again,  to  that  great-souled 
man,  of  whom  I  spoke  just  now — did  we  not  leave  out 
one  thing  in  his  character?  or  at  least,  one  thing  by 
which  his  character  might  be  proved  and  tried?  We 
said  that  he  should  be  generous  and  forgiving ;  we  said 
that  he  should  bear  patiently  folly,  peevishness,  in- 
gratitude :  but  what  if  we  asked  of  him,  that  he  should 
sacrifice  himself  utterly  for  the  peevish,  ungrateful  men 
for  whose  good  he  was  toiling  ?  What  if  we  asked  him 
to  give  up,  for  them,  not  only  all  which  made  life  worth 
having,  but  to  give  up  life  itself?    To  die  for  them; 


14  THE  GLORY  OF  THE  CROSS.  [SERM. 


and,  what  is  bitterest  of  all,  to  die  by  their  hands — to 
receive  as  their  reward  for  all  his  goodness  to  them  a 
shameful  death?  If  he  dare  submit  to  that,  then  we 
should  call  his  greatness  of  soul  perfect.  Magnanimity, 
we  should  say,  could  rise  no  higher;  in  that  would  be 
the  perfection  of  goodness. 

Surely  your  hearts  answer,  that  this  is  true.  When 
you  hear  of  a  father  sacrificing  his  own  life  for  his 
children;  when  you  hear  of  a  soldier  dying  for  his 
country ;  when  you  hear  of  a  clergyman  or  a  physician 
killing  himself  by  his  work,  while  he  is  labouring  to  save 
the  souls  or  the  bodies  of  his  fellow-creatures ;  then  you 
feel — There  is  goodness  in  its  highest  shape.  To  give 
up  our  lives  for  others  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  and 
noble,  and  glorious  things  on  earth.  But  to  give  up  our 
lives,  willingly,  joyfully  for  men  who  misunderstand  us, 
hate  us,  despise  us,  is,  if  possible,  a  more  glorious  action 
still,  and  the  very  perfection  of  perfect  virtue.  Then, 
looking  at  Christ's  cross,  we  see  that,  and  even  more — 
ay,  far  more  than  that.  The  cross  was  the  perfect  token 
of  the  perfect  greatness  of  God,  and  of  the  perfect  glory 
of  God. 

So  on  the  cross,  the  Father  justified  himself  to  man; 
yea,  glorified  himself  in  the  glory  of  his  crucified  Son. 
On  the  cross  God  proved  himself  to  be  perfectly  just, 
perfectly  good,  perfectly  generous,  perfectly  glorious, 
beyond  all  that  man  could  ever  have  dared  to  conceive 
or  dream.  That  God  must  be  good,  the  wise  heathens 
knew ;  but  that  God  was  so  utterly  good  that  he  could 
stoop  to  suffer,  to  die,  for  men,  and  by  men — that  they 


II.]  THE  GLORY  OF  THE  CROSS.  15 


never  dreamed.  That  was  the  mystery  of  God's  love, 
which  was  hid  in  Christ  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  and  which  was  revealed  at  last  upon  the  cross  of 
Calvary  by  him  who  prayed  for  his  murderers — '  Father, 
forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do.'  That 
truly  blessed  sight  of  a  Saviour-God,  who  did  not  disdain 
to  die  the  meanest  and  the  most  fearful  of  deaths — that, 
that  came  home  at  once,  and  has  come  home  ever  since, 
to  all  hearts  which  had  left  in  them  any  love  and  respect 
for  goodness,  and  melted  them  with  the  fire  of  divine 
love;  as  God  grant  it  may  melt  yours,  this  day,  and 
henceforth  for  ever. 

I  can  say  no  more,  my  friends.  If  this  good  news 
does  not  come  home  to  your  hearts  by  its  own  power, 
it  will  never  be  brought  home  to  you  by  any  words  of 
mine. 


SERMON  III. 


THE  LIFE   OF  GOD. 
i  John  i.  2. 

For  the  Life  was  manifested,  and  we  have  seen  it,  and  bear  witness, 
and  shew  unto  you  that  eternal  life,  which  was  with  the  Father 
and  was  manifested  unto  us  ! 

"\  ~\  7"  HAT  do  we  mean,  when  we  speak  of  the  Life 
everlasting? 

Do  we  mean  that  men's  souls  are  immortal,  and  will 
live  for  ever  after  death,  either  in  happiness  or  misery? 

We  must  mean  more  than  that.  At  least  we  ought 
to  mean  more  than  that,  if  we  be  Christian  men.  For 
the  Bible  tells  us,  that  Christ  brought  life  and  immortality 
to  light.  Therefore  they  must  have  been  in  darkness 
before  Christ's  coming ;  and  men  did  not  know  as  much 
about  life  and  immortality  before  Christ's  coming  as  they 
know — or  ought  to  know — now. 

But  if  we  need  only  believe  that  we  shall  live  for  ever 
after  death  in  happiness  or  misery,  then  Christ  has  not 
brought  life  and  immortality  to  light.  He  has  thrown 
no  fresh  light  upon  the  matter. 

And  why?  For  this  simple  reason,  that  the  old 
heathen  knew  as  much  as  that  before  Christ  came. 

The  old  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  Persians,  and  our 
own  forefathers  before  they  became  Christians,  believed 


THE  LIFE  OF  GOD. 


17 


that  men's  souls  would  live  for  ever  happy  or  miserable. 
The  Mussulmans,  Mahommedans,  Turks  as  they  are 
called  in  the  Prayer-book,  believe  as  much  as  that  now. 
They  believe  that  men's  souls  live  for  ever  after  death, 
and  go  to  '  heaven'  or  '  hell.' 

So  those  words  'everlasting  Life'  must  needs  mean 
something  more  than  that.    What  do  they  mean  ? 

First.    What  does  everlasting  mean  ? 

It  means  exactly  the  same  as  eternal.  The  two  words 
are  the  same :  only  everlasting  is  English,  and  eternal 
Latin.    But  they  have  the  same  sense. 

Now  everlasting  and  eternal  mean  something  which 
has  neither  beginning  nor  end.  That  is  certain.  The 
wisest  of  the  heathen  knew  that :  but  we  are  apt  to 
forget  it.  We  are  apt  to  think  a  thing  may  be  everlast- 
ing, because  it  has  no  end,  though  it  has  a  beginning. 
We  are  careless  thinkers,  if  we  fancy  that.  God  is  eternal 
because  he  has  neither  beginning  nor  end. 

But  here  come  two  puzzles. 

First.  The  Athanasian  Creed  says  that  there  is  but 
one  Eternal,  that  is,  God ;  and  never  were  truer  words 
written. 

But  do  we  not  make  out  two  Eternals?  For  God 
is  one  Eternal;  and  eternal  life  is  another  Eternal. 
Now  which  is  right ;  we,  or  the  Athanasian  Creed  ? 
I  shall  hold  by  the  Athanasian  Creed,  my  friends,  and 
ask  you  to  think  again  over  the  matter :  thus — 

If  there  be  but  one  Eternal,  there  is  but  one  way 
of  escaping  out  of  our  puzzle,  which  makes  two  Eternals; 
and  that  is,  to  go  back  to  the  old  doctrine  of  St.  Paul, 

c 


1 8  THE  LIFE  OF  GOD.  [SERM. 


and  St.  John,  and  the  wisest  of  the  Fathers,  and  say — 
There  is  but  one  Eternal ;  and  therefore  eternal  life  is  in 
the  Eternal  God.  And  it  is  eternal  Life  because  it 
is  God's  life ;  the  life  which  God  lives ;  and  it  is  eternal 
just  because,  and  only  because,  it  is  the  life  of  God; 
and  eternal  death  is  nothing  but  the  want  of  God's 
eternal  life. 

Certainly,  whether  you  think  this  true  or  not,  St.  John 
thought  it  true;  for  he  says  so  most  positively  in  the 
text.  He  says  that  the  Life  was  manifested — showed 
plainly  upon  earth,  and  that  he  had  seen  it.  And  he 
says  that  he  saw  it  in  a  man,  whom  his  eyes  had  seen, 
and  his  hands  had  handled.    How  could  that  be  ? 

My  friends,  how  else  could  it  be  ?  How  can  you  see 
life,  but  by  seeing  some  one  live  it  ?  You  cannot  see  a 
man's  life,  unless  you  see  him  live  such  and  such  a  life, 
or  hear  of  his  living  such  and  such  a  life,  and  so  knowing 
what  his  life,  manners,  character,  are.  And  so  no  one 
could  have  seen  God's  life,  or  known  what  life  God  lived, 
and  what  character  God's  was,  had  it  not  been  for  the  in- 
carnation of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  was  made  flesh, 
and  dwelt  among  us,  that  by  seeing  him,  the  Son,  we 
might  see  the  Father,  whose  likeness  he  was,  and  is,  and 
ever  will  be. 

But  now,  says  St.  John,  we  know  what  God's  eternal  life 
is;  for  we  know  what  Christ's  life  was  on  earth.  And 
more,  we  know  that  it  is  a  life  which  men  may  live ;  for 
Christ  lived  it  perfectly  and  utterly,  though  He  was  a  man. 

What  sort  of  life,  then,  is  everlasting  life  ? 

Who  can  tell  altogether  and  completely?   And  yet 


III.]  THE  LIFE  OF  GOD.  19 


who  cannot  tell  in  part?  Use  the  common  sense,  my 
friends,  which  God  has  given  to  you,  and  think ; — If 
eternal  life  be  the  life  of  God,  it  must  be  a  good  life ;  for 
God  is  good.  That  is  the  first,  and  the  most  certain 
thing  which  we  can  say  of  it.  It  must  be  a  righteous 
and  just  life ;  a  loving  and  merciful  life ;  for  God  is 
righteous,  just,  loving,  merciful ;  and  more,  it  must  be  an 
useful  life,  a  life  of  good  works ;  for  God  is  eternally 
useful,  doing  good  to  all  his  creatures,  working  for  ever 
for  the  benefit  of  all  which  he  has  made. 

Yes — a  life  of  good  works.  There  is  no  good  life 
without  good  works.  When  you  talk  of  a  man's  life, 
you  mean  not  only  what  he  feels  and  thinks,  but  what 
he  does.  What  is  in  his  heart  goes  for  nothing,  unless 
he  brings  it  out  in  his  actions,  as  far  as  he  can. 

Therefore  St.  James  says,  'Thou  hast  faith,  and  I 
have  works.  Shew  me  thy  faith  without  thy  works, 
(and  who  can  do  that?)  'and  I  will  shew  thee  my  faith 
by  my  works.' 

And  St.  John  says,  there  is  no  use  saying  you  love. 
'  Let  us  love  not  in  word  and  in  tongue,  but  in  deed  and 
in  truth;'  and  again — and  would  to  God  that  most 
people  who  talk  so  glibly  about  heaven  and  hell,  and  the 
ways  of  getting  thither,  would  recollect  this  one  plain 
text — '  Little  children,  let  no  man  deceive  you.  He 
that  doeth  righteousness  is  righteous,  even  as  God  is 
righteous.'  And  therefore  it  is  that  St.  Paul  bids  rich 
men  '  be  rich  also  in  noble  deeds,'  generous  and  liberal 
of  their  money  to  all  who  want,  that  they  may  '  lay  hold 
of  that  which  is  really  life,'  namely,  the  eternal  life  of 
goodness. 


20 


THE  LIFE  OF  GOD. 


[SERM. 


And  therefore  also,  my  friends,  we  may  be  sure  that 
God  loves  in  deed  and  in  truth  :  because  it  is  written 
that  God  is  love. 

For  if  a  man  loves,  he  longs  to  help  those  whom  he 
loves.  It  is  the  very  essence  of  love,  that  it  cannot  be 
still,  cannot  be  idle,  cannot  be  satisfied  with  itself, 
cannot  contain  itself,  but  must  go  out  to  do  good  to 
those  whom  it  loves,  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  is 
lost.  And  therefore  God  is  perfect  love,  and  his  eternal 
life  a  life  of  eternal  love,  because  he  sends  his  Son 
eternally  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  is  lost. 

This,  then,  is  eternal  life ;  a  life  of  everlasting  love 
showing  itself  in  everlasting  good  works ;  and  whosoever 
lives  that  life,  he  lives  the  life  of  God,  and  hath  eternal 
life. 

What  I  have  just  said  will  help  you,  I  think,  to 
understand  another  royal  text  about  eternal  life. 

For  now  we  may  understand  why  it  is  written,  that 
this  is  life  eternal,  to  know  the  true  and  only  God,  and 
Jesus  Christ  whom  he  has  sent.  For  if  eternal  life  be 
God's  life,  we  must  know  God,  and  God's  character, 
to  know  what  eternal  life  is  like :  and  if  no  man  has 
seen  God  at  any  time,  and  God's  life  can  only  be  seen  in 
the  life  of  Christ,  then  we  must  know  Christ,  and  Christ's 
life,  to  know  God  and  God's  life;  that  the  saying  may 
be  fulfilled  in  us,  God  hath  given  to  us  eternal  life,  and 
this  life  is  in  his  Son. 

One  other  royal  text,  did  I  say?  We  may  under- 
stand many,  perhaps  all,  the  texts  which  speak  of  life, 
and  eternal  life,  if  we  will  look  at  them  in  this  way. 


lit]  THE  LIFE  OF  GOD.  21 


We  may  see  why  St.  Paul  says  that  to  be  spiritually 
minded  is  life;  and  that  the  life  of  Jesus  may  be 
manifested  in  men  :  and  how  the  sin  of  the  old  heathen 
lay  in  this,  that  they  were  alienated  from  the  life  of  God. 
We  may  understand  how  Christ's  commandment  is  ever- 
lasting life ;  how  the  water  which  he  gives,  can  spring  up 
within  a  man's  heart  to  everlasting  life — all  such  texts 
we  may,  and  shall,  understand  more  and  more,  if  we  will 
bear  in  mind  that  everlasting  life  is  the  life  of  God  and 
of  Christ,  a  life  of  love ;  a  life  of  perfect,  active,  self- 
sacrificing  goodness,  which  is  the  one  only  true  life  for 
all  rational  beings,  whether  on  earth  or  in  heaven. 

In  heaven,  my  friends,  as  well  as  on  earth.  Form 
your  own  notions,  as  you  will,  about  angels,  and  saints 
in  heaven,  for  every  one  must  have  some  notions  about 
them,  and  try  to  picture  to  himself  what  the  souls  of 
those  whom  he  has  loved  and  lost  are  doing  in  the  other 
world  :  but  bear  this  in  mind  :  that  if  the  saints  in  heaven 
live  the  everlasting  life,  they  must  be  living  a  life  of 
usefulness,  of  love  and  of  good  works. 

And  here  I  must  say,  friends,  that  however  much  the 
Roman  Catholics  may  be  wrong  on  many  points,  they 
have  remembered  one  thing  about  the  life  everlasting, 
which  we  are  too  apt  to  forget ;  and  that  is,  that  ever- 
lasting life  cannot  be  a  selfish,  idle  life,  spent  only  in 
being  happy  oneself.  They  believe  that  the  saints  in 
heaven  are  not  idle;  that  they  are  eternally  helping 
mankind ;  doing  all  sorts  of  good  offices  for  those  souls 
who  need  them;  that,  as  St.  Paul  says  of  the  angels, 
they  are  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister  to 


22 


THE  LIFE  OF  GOD. 


[SERM. 


those  who  are  heirs  of  salvation.  And  I  cannot  see  why 
they  should  not  be  right.  For  if  the  saints'  delight  was 
to  do  good  on  earth,  much  more  will  it  be  to  do  good  in 
heaven.  If  they  helped  poor  sufferers,  if  they  taught  the 
ignorant,  if  they  comforted  the  afflicted,  here  on  earth, 
much  more  will  they  be  able,  much  more  will  they  be 
wiling,  to  help,  comfort,  teach  them,  now  that  they  are 
in  the  full  power,  the  full  freedom,  the  full  love  and  zeal 
of  the  everlasting  life.  If  their  hearts  were  warmed  and 
softened  by  the  fire  of  God's  love  here,  how  much  more 
there  !  If  they  lived  God's  life  of  love  here,  how  much 
more  there,  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  the  face  of 
Christ ! 

But  if  any  one  shall  say,  that  the  souls  of  good  men 
in  heaven  cannot  help  us  who  are  here  on  earth,  I 
answer,  When  did  they  ascend  into  heaven,  to  find  out 
that  ?  If  they  had  ever  been  there,  friends,  be  sure  they 
would  have  had  better  news  to  bring  home  than  this — 
that  those  whom  we  have  honoured  and  loved  on  earth 
have  lost  the  power  which  they  used  to  have,  of  comfort- 
ing us  who  are  struggling  here  below.  That  notion 
springs  altogether  out  of  a  superstitious  fancy  that 
heaven  is  a  great  many  millions  of  miles  away  from  this 
earth — which  fancy,  wherever  men  get  it  from,  they 
certainly  do  not  get  it  from  the  Bible.  Moreover  it 
seems  to  me,  that  if  the  saints  in  heaven  cannot  help 
men,  then  they  cannot  be  happy  in  heaven.  Cannot  be 
happy?  Ay,  must  be  miserable.  For  what  greater 
misery  for  really  good  men,  than  to  see  things  going 
wrong,  and  not  to  be  able  to  mend  them ;  to  see  poor 


III.] 


THE  LIFE  OF  GOD. 


2 1 


creatures  suffering,  and  not  to  be  able  to  comfort  them  ? 
No,  my  friends,  we  will  believe — what  every  one  who 
loves  a  beloved  friend  comes  sooner  or  later  to  believe 
— that  those  whom  we  have  honoured  and  loved,  though 
taken  from  our  eyes,  are  near  to  our  spirits ;  that  they 
still  fight  for  us,  under  the  banner  of  their  Master  Christ, 
and  still  work  for  us,  by  virtue  of  his  life  of  love,  which 
they  live  in  him  and  by  him  for  ever. 

Pray  to  them,  indeed,  we  need  not,  as  if  they  would 
help  us  out  of  any  self-will  of  their  own.  There,  I  think, 
the  Roman  Catholics  are  wrong.  They  pray  to  the 
saints  as  if  the  saints  had  wills  of  their  own,  and  fancies 
of  their  own,  and  were  respecters  of  persons ;  and  could 
have  favourites,  and  grant  private  favours  to  those  who 
especially  admired  and  (I  fear  I  must  say  it)  nattered 
them.  But  why  should  we  do  that  ?  That  is  to  lower 
God's  saints  in  our  own  eyes.  For  if  we  believe  that 
they  are  made  perfect,  and  like  perfectly  the  everlasting 
life,  then  we  must  believe  that  there  is  no  self-will  in 
them :  but  that  they  do  God's  will,  and  not  their  own, 
and  go  on  God's  errands,  and  not  their  own ;  that  he, 
and  not  their  own  liking,  sends  them  whithersoever  he 
wills ;  and  that  if  we  ask  of  him — of  God  our  Father 
himself,  that  is  enough  for  us. 

And  what  shall  we  ask  ? 

Ask — '  Father,  thy  will  be  done  on  earth,  as  it  is  in 
heaven.' 

For  in  asking  that,  we  ask  for  the  best  of  all  things. 
We  ask  for  the  happiness,  the  power,  the  glory  of  saints 
and  angels.    We  ask  to  be  put  into  tune  with  God's 


THE  LIFE  OF  COD. 


[seek, 


whole  universe,  from  the  meanest  flower  beneath  our 
feet,  to  the  most  glorious  spirit  whom  God  ever  created. 
We  ask  for  the  one  everlasting  life  which  can  never  die, 
fail,  change,  or  disappoint :  yea,  for  the  everlasting  life 
which  Christ  the  only  begotten  Son  lives  from  eternity  to 
eternity,  for  ever  saying  to  his  Father,  'Thy  will  be 
done.' 

Yes — when  we  ask  God  to  make  us  do  his  will,  then 
indeed  we  ask  for  everlasting  life. 

Does  that  seem  little?  Would  you  rather  ask  for 
all  manner  of  pleasant  things,  if  not  in  this  life,  at  least 
in  the  life  to  come  ? 

Oh,  my  friends,  consider  this.  We  were  not  put  into 
this  world  to  get  pleasant  things ;  and  we  shall  not  be 
put  into  the  next  world,  as  it  seems  to  me,  to  get  pleasant 
things.  We  were  put  into  this  world  to  do  God's  will. 
And  we  shall  be  put  (I  believe)  into  the  next  world  for 
the  very  same  purpose — to  do  God's  will ;  and  if  we  do 
that,  we  shall  find  pleasure  enough  in  doing  it.  I  do 
not  doubt  that  in  the  next  world  all  manner  of  harmless 
pleasure  will  come  to  us  likewise ;  because  that  will  be, 
we  hope,  a  perfect  and  a  just  world,  not  a  piecemeal, 
confused,  often  unjust  world,  like  this :  but  pleasant 
things  will  come  to  us  in  the  next  life,  only  in  proportion 
as  we  shall  be  doing  God's  will  in  the  next  life ;  and  we 
shall  be  happy  and  blessed,  only  because  we  shall  be 
living  that  eternal  life  of  which  I  have  been  preaching  to 
you  all  along,  the  life  which  Christ  lives  and  has  lived 
and  will  live  for  ever,  saying  to  the  Eternal  Father — 
I  come  to  do  thy  will — not  my  will  but  thine  be  done. 


III.] 


THE  LIFE  OF  GOD. 


25 


Oh  !  may  God  give  to  us  all  his  Spirit ;  the  Spirit  by 
which  Christ  did  his  Father's  will,  and  lived  his  Father's 
life  in  the  soul  and  body  of  a  mortal  man,  that  we  may 
live  here  a  life  of  obedience  and  of  good  works,  which  is 
the  only  true  and  living  life  of  faith ;  and  that  when  we 
die  it  may  be  said  of  us — 

'  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord ;  for  they 
rest  from  their  labours,  and  their  works  do  follow  them.' 

They  rest  from  their  labours.  All  their  struggles, 
disappointments,  failures,  backslidings,  which  made  them 
unhappy  here,  because  they  could  not  perfectly  do  the 
will  of  God,  are  past  and  over  for  ever.  But  their  works 
follow  them.  The  good  which  they  did  on  earth — that 
is  not  past  and  over.  It  cannot  die.  It  lives  and  grows 
for  ever,  following  on  in  their  path  long  after  they  are 
dead,  and  bearing  fruit  unto  everlasting  life,  not  only  in 
them,  but  in  men  whom  they  never  saw,  and  in  genera- 
tions yet  unborn. 


SERMON  IV. 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  THREE  CHILDREN. 

Daniel  iii.  16,  17,  18. 

O  Nebuchadnezzar,  we  are  not  careful  to  answer  thee  in  this  matter. 
If  it  be  so,  our  God  whom  we  serve  is  able  to  deliver  us  from  the 
burning  fiery  furnace ;  and  He  will  deliver  us  out  of  thine  hand, 
O  king.  But  if  not,  be  it  known  unto  thee,  O  king,  that  we  will 
not  serve  thy  gods,  nor  worship  the  golden  image  which  thou 
hast  set  up. 

7"E  read  this  morning,  instead  of  the  Te  Deum,  the 
Song  of  the  Three  Children,  beginning,  'Oh  all 
ye  works  of  the  Lord,  bless  ye  the  Lord :  praise  him, 
and  magnify  him  for  ever.'  It  was  proper  to  do  so: 
because  the  Ananias,  Azarias,  and  Misael  mentioned  in 
it,  are  the  same  as  the  Shadrach,  Meshech,  and  Abednego, 
whose  story  we  heard  in  the  first  lesson ;  and  because 
some  of  the  old  Jews  held  that  this  noble  hymn  was 
composed  by  them,  and  sung  by  them  in  the  burning 
fiery  furnace,  wherefore  it  has  been  called  '  The  Song  of 
the  Three  Children;'  for  child,  in  old  English,  meant 
a  young  man. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  it  is  a  glorious  hymn,  worthy  of  the 
Church  of  God,  worthy  of  those  three  young  men,  worthy 
of  all  the  noble  army  of  martyrs ;  and  if  the  three  young 
men  did  not  actually  use  the  very  words  of  it,  still  it  was 
what  they  believed ;  and,  because  they  believed  it,  they 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  THREE  CHILDREN.  27 


had  courage  to  tell  Nebuchadnezzar  that  they  were  not 
careful  to  answer  him — had  no  manner  of  doubt  or 
anxiety  whatsoever  as  to  what  they  were  to  say,  when  he 
called  on  them  to  worship  his  gods.  For  his  gods,  we 
know,  were  the  sun,  moon,  and  planets,  and  the  angels 
who  (as  the  Chaldeans  believed)  ruled  over  the  heavenly 
bodies ;  and  that  image  of  gold  is  supposed,  by  some 
learned  men,  to  have  been  probably  a  sign  or  picture  of 
the  wondrous  power  of  life  and  growth  which  there  is  in 
all  earthly  things — and  that  a  sign  of  which  I  need  not 
speak,  or  you  hear.  So  that  the  meaning  of  this  Song  of 
the  Three  Children  is  simply  this  : 

'You  bid  us  worship  the  things  about  us,  which  we 
see  with  our  bodily  eyes.  We  answer,  that  we  know  the 
one  true  God,  who  made  all  these  things ;  and  that, 
therefore,  instead  of  worshipping  them,  we  will  bid  them 
to  worship  Aim.' 

Now  let  us  spend  a  few  minutes  in  looking  into  this 
hymn,  and  seeing  what  it  teaches  us. 

You  see  at  once,  that  it  says  that  the  one  God,  and 
not  many  gods,  made  all  things  :  much  more,  that  things 
did  not  make  themselves,  or  grow  up  of  their  own  accord, 
by  any  virtue  or  life  of  their  own. 

But  it  says  more.  It  calls  upon  all  things  which  God 
has  made,  to  bless  him,  praise  him,  and  magnify  him  for 
ever.  This  is  much  more  than  merely  saying,  '  One  God 
made  the  world.'  For  this  is  saying  something  about 
God's  character ;  declaring  what  this  one  God  is  like. 

For  when  you  bless  a  person — (I  do  not  mean  when 
you  pray  God  to  bless  him — that  is  a  different  thing) — 


28     THE  SONG  OF  THE  THREE  CHILDREN.  [SERM. 


when  you  bless  any  one,  I  say,  you  bless  him  because 
he  is  blessed,  and  has  done  blessed  things :  because  he 
has  shown  himself  good,  generous,  merciful,  useful.  You 
praise  a  person  because  he  is  praiseworthy,  noble,  and 
admirable.  You  magnify  a  person — that  is,  speak  of 
him  to  every  one,  and  everywhere,  in  the  highest  terms — 
because  you  think  that  every  one  ought  to  know  how 
good  and  great  he  is.  And,  therefore,  when  the  hymn 
says,  '  Bless  God,  praise  him,  and  magnify  him  for  ever,' 
it  does  not  merely  confess  God's  power.  No.  It  con- 
fesses, too,  God's  wisdom,  goodness,  beauty,  love,  and 
calls  on  all  heaven  and  earth  to  admire  him,  the  alone 
admirable,  and  adore  him,  the  alone  adorable. 

For  this  is  really  to  believe  in  God.  Not  merely  to 
believe  that  there  is  a  God,  but  to  know  what  God  is 
like,  and  to  know  that  He  is  worthy  to  be  believed  in  j 
worthy  to  be  trusted,  honoured,  loved  with  heart  and 
mind  and  soul,  because  we  know  that  He  is  worthy  of 
our  love. 

And  this,  we  have  a  right  to  say,  these  three  young 
men  did,  or  whosoevei  wrote  this  hymn ;  and  that  as 
a  reward  for  their  faith  in  God,  there  was  granted  to 
them  that  deep  insight  into  the  meaning  of  the  world 
about  them,  which  shines  out  through  every  verse  of  this 
hymn. 

Deep?  I  tell  you,  my  friends,  that  this  hymn  is  so 
deep,  that  it  is  too  deep  for  the  shallow  brains  of  which 
the  world  is  full  now-a-days,  who  fancy  that  they  know 
all  about  heaven  and  earth,  just  because  they  happen  to 
have  been  born  now,  and  not  two  hundred  years  ago. 


IV.]      THE  SONG  OF  THE  THREE  CHILDREN.  29 


To  such  this  old  hymn  means  nothing ;  it  is  in  their  eyes 
merely  an  old-fashioned  figure  of  speech  to  call  on  sun 
and  stars,  green  herb  and  creeping  thing,  to  praise  and 
bless  God.  Nevertheless,  the  old  hymn  stands  in  our 
Prayer-books,  as  a  precious  heir-loom  to  our  children ; 
and  long  may  it  stand.  Though  we  may  forget  its  mean- 
ing, yet  perhaps  our  children  after  us  will  recollect  it 
once  more,  and  say  with  their  hearts,  what  we  now,  I 
fear,  only  say  with  our  lips  and  should  not  say  at  all,  if 
it  was  not  put  into  our  mouths  by  the  Prayer-book. 

Do  you  not  understand  what  I  mean  ?  Then  think  of 
this  :— 

If  we  were  writing  a  hymn  about  God,  should  we  dare 
to  say  to  the  things  about  us — to  the  cattle  feeding  in 
the  fields — much  less  to  the  clouds  over  our  heads,  and 
to  the  wells  of  which  we  drink,  '  Bless  ye  the  Lord, 
praise  him,  and  magnify  him  for  ever?' 

We  should  not  dare ;  and  for  two  reasons. 

First — There  is  a  notion  abroad,  borrowed  from  the 
old  monks,  that  this  earth  is  in  some  way  bad,  and 
cursed ;  that  a  curse  is  on  it  still  for  man's  sake :  but 
a  notion  which  is  contrary  to  plain  fact ;  for  if  we  till 
the  ground,  it  does  not  bring  forth  thorns  and  thistles  to 
us,  as  the  Scripture  says  it  was  to  do  for  Adam,  but 
wholesome  food,  and  rich  returns  for  our  labour:  and 
which  in  the  next  place  is  flatly  contrary  to  Scripture : 
for  we  read  in  Genesis  viii.  21,  how  the  Lord  said,  'I 
will  not  again  curse  the  ground  any  more  for  man's  sake  ;' 
and  the  Psalms  always  speak  of  this  earth,  and  of  all 
created  things,  as  if  there  was  no  curse  at  all  on  them; 


3°     THE  SONG  OF  THE  THREE  CHILDREN.  [SERM. 


saying  that  'all  things  serve  God,  and  continue  as  they 
were  at  the  beginning,'  and  that  '  He  has  given  them 
a  law  which  cannot  be  broken  f  and  in  the  face  of  those 
words,  let  who  will  talk  of  the  earth  being  cursed,  I  will 
not ;  and  you  shall  not,  if  I  can  help  it. 

Another  reason  why  we  dare  not  talk  of  this  earth  as 
this  hymn  does  is,  that  we  have  got  into  the  habit  of 
saying,  '  Cattle  and  creeping  things — they  are  not  rational 
beings.  How  can  they  praise  God  ?  Clouds  and  wells 
— they  are  not  even  living  things.  How  can  they  praise 
God  ?  Why  speak  of  them  in  a  hymn ;  much  less  speak 
to  them  ?' 

Yet  this  hymn  does  speak  to  them;  and  so  do  the 
Psalms  and  the  Prophets  again  and  again.  And  so  will 
men  do  hereafter,  when  the  fashions  and  the  fancies  of 
these  days  are  past,  and  men  have  their  eyes  opened 
once  more  to  see  the  glory  which  is  around  them  from 
their  cradle  to  their  grave,  and  hear  once  more  'The 
Word  of  the  Lord  walking  among  the  trees  of  the 
garden.' 

But  how  can  this  be?  How  can  not  only  dumb 
things,  but  even  dead  things,  praise  God  ? 

My  friends,  this  is  a  great  mystery,  of  which  the  wisest 
men  as  yet  know  but  little,  and  confess  freely  how  little 
they  know.  But  this  at  least  we  know  already,  and  can 
say  boldly — all  things  praise  God,  by  fulfilling  the  law 
which  our  Lord  himself  declared,  when  he  said  'Not 
every  one  who  saith  to  me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  heaven :  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of 
my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.' 


IV.]      THE  SONG  OF  THE  THREE  CHILDREN.  31 


By  doing  the  will  of  the  heavenly  Father.  By  obeying 
the  laws  which  God  has  given  them.  By  taking  the 
shape  which  he  has  appointed  for  them.  By  being  of 
the  use  for  which  he  intended  them.  By  multiplying 
each  after  their  kind,  by  laws  and  means  a  thousand 
times  more  strange  than  any  signs  and  wonders  of  which 
man  can  fancy  for  himself;  and  by  thus  showing  forth 
God's  boundless  wisdom,  goodness,  love,  and  tender  care 
of  all  which  he  has  made. 

Yes,  my  friends,  in  this  sense  (and  this  is  the  true 
sense)  all  things  can  serve  and  praise  God,  and  all  things 
do  serve  and  praise  Him.  Not  a  cloud  which  fleets 
across  the  sky,  not  a  clod  of  earth  which  crumbles  under 
the  frost,  not  a  blade  of  grass  which  breaks  through  the 
snow  in  spring,  not  a  dead  leaf  which  falls  to  the  earth 
in  autumn,  but  is  doing  God's  work,  and  showing  forth 
God's  glory.  Not  a  tiny  insect,  too  small  to  be  seen  by 
human  eyes  without  the  help  of  a  microscope,  but  is  as 
fearfully  and  wonderfully  made  as  you  and  me,  and  has 
its  proper  food,  habitation,  work,  appointed  for  it,  and 
not  in  vain.  Nothing  is  idle,  nothing  is  wasted,  nothing 
goes  wrong,  in  this  wondrous  world  of  God.  The  very 
scum  upon  the  standing  pool,  which  seems  mere  dirt 
and  dust,  is  all  alive,  peopled  by  millions  of  creatures, 
each  full  of  beauty,  full  of  use,  obeying  laws  of  God  too 
deep  for  us  to  do  aught  but  dimly  guess  at  them ;  and  as 
men  see  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  mystery  of  God's 
creation,  they  find  in  the  commonest  things  about  them 
wonder  and  glory,  such  as  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear 
heard,  nor  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to 


32     THE  SONG  OF  THE  THREE  CHILDREN.  [SERM. 


conceive ;  and  can  only  say  with  the  Psalmist,  '  Oh  Lord, 
thy  ways  are  infinite,  thy  thoughts  are  very  deep ;'  and 
confess  that  the  grass  beneath  their  feet,  the  clouds  above 
their  heads — ay,  every  worm  beneath  the  sod  and  bird 
upon  the  bough,  do,  in  very  deed  and  truth,  bless  the 
Lord  who  made  them,  praise  him,  and  magnify  him  for 
ever,  not  with  words  indeed,  but  with  works ;  and  say  to 
man  all  day  long,  '  Go  thou,  and  do  likewise.' 

Yes,  my  friends,  let  us  go  and  do  likewise.  If  we  wish 
really  to  obey  the  lesson  of  the  Hymn  of  the  Three 
Children,  let  us  do  the  will  of  God :  and  so  worship 
him  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  Do  not  fancy,  as  too  many 
do,  that  thou  canst  praise  God  by  singing  hymns  to  him 
in  church  once  a  week,  and  disobeying  him  all  the  week 
long,  crying  to  him  '  Lord,  Lord,'  and  then  living  as  if  he 
were  not  thy  Lord,  but  thou  wast  thine  own  Lord,  and 
hadst  a  right  to  do  thine  own  will,  and  not  his.  If  thou 
wilt  really  bless  God,  then  try  to  live  his  blessed  life  of 
Goodness.  If  thou  wilt  truly  praise  God,  then  behave 
as  if  God  was  praiseworthy,  good,  and  right  in  what  he 
bids  thee  do.  If  thou  wouldest  really  magnify  God,  and 
declare  his  greatness,  then  behave  as  if  he  were  indeed 
the  Great  God,  who  ought  to  be  obeyed — ay,  who  must 
be  obeyed ;  for  his  commandment  is  life,  and  it  alone,  to 
thee,  as  well  as  to  all  which  He  has  made.  Dost  thou 
fancy  as  the  heathen  do,  that  God  needs  to  be  flattered 
with  fine  words  ?  or  that  thou  wilt  be  heard  for  thy  much 
speaking,  and  thy  vain  repetitions?  He  asks  of  thee 
works,  as  well  as  words ;  and  more,  He  asks  of  thee 
works  first,  and  words  after.    And  better  it  is  to  praise 


IV.]      THE  SONG  OF  THE  THREE  CHILDREN.  33 


him  truly  by  works  without  words,  than  falsely  by  words 
without  works. 

Cry,  if  thou  wilt,  '  Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God  of 
hosts ;'  but  show  that  thou  believest  him  to  be  holy,  by 
being  holy  thyself.  Sing,  if  Thou  wilt,  of  '  The  Father 
of  an  Infinite  Majesty :'  but  show  that  thou  believest  his 
majesty  to  be  infinite,  by  obeying  his  commandments, 
like  those  Three  Children,  let  them  cost  thee  what  they 
may.  Join,  and  join  freely,  in  the  songs  of  the  heavenly 
host ;  for  God  has  given  thee  reason  and  speech,  after 
the  likeness  of  his  only  begotten  Son,  and  thou  mayest 
use  them,  as  well  as  every  other  gift,  in  the  service  of 
thy  Father.  But  take  care  lest,  while  thou  art  trying  to 
copy  the  angels,  thou  art  not  even  as  righteous  as  the 
beasts  of  the  field.  For  they  bless  and  praise  God  by 
obeying  his  laws ;  and  till  thou  dost  that,  and  obeyest 
God's  laws  likewise,  thou  art  not  as  good  as  the  grass 
beneath  thy  feet. 

For  after  all  has  been  said  and  sung,  my  friends,  the 
sum  and  substance  of  true  religion  remains  what  it  was, 
and  what  it  will  be  for  ever ;  and  lies  in  this  one  word, 
'  If  ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandments.' 


D 


SERMON  V. 


THE  ETERNAL  GOODNESS. 

Matthew  xxii.  39. 
Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself. 

"IX  7"HY  are  wrong  things  wrong?  Why,  for  instance, 
is  it  wrong  to  steal  ? 

Because  God  has  forbidden  it,  you  may  answer.  But 
is  it  so  ?  Whatsoever  God  forbids  must  be  wrong.  But, 
is  it  wrong  because  God  forbids  it,  or  does  God  forbid  it 
because  it  is  wrong  ? 

For  instance,  suppose  that  God  had  not  forbidden  us 
to  steal,  would  it  be  right  then  to  steal,  or  at  least,  not 
wrong  1 

We  must  really  think  of  this.  It  is  no  mere  question 
of  words,  it  is  a  solemn  practical  question,  which  has 
to  do  with  our  every-day  conduct,  and  yet  which  goes 
down  to  the  deepest  of  all  matters,  even  to  the  depths  of 
God  himself. 

The  question  is  simply  this.  Did  God,  who  made  all 
things,  make  right  and  wrong?  Many  people  think  so. 
They  think  that  God  made  goodness.  But  how  can  that 
be?  For  if  God  made  goodness,  there  could  have  been 
no  goodness  before  God  made  it.  That  is  clear.  But 
God  was  always  good,  good  from  all  eternity.     But  how 


THE  ETERNAL  GOODNESS. 


35 


could  that  be  ?  How  could  God  be  good,  before  there 
was  any  goodness  made?  That  notion  will  not  do  then. 
And  all  we  can  say  is  that  goodness  is  eternal  and  ever- 
lasting, just  as  God  is  :  because  God  was  and  is  and  ever 
will  be  eternally  and  always  good. 

Bat  is  eternal  goodness  one  thing,  and  the  eternal 
God  another?  That  cannot  be,  again;  for  as  the 
Athanasian  Creed  tells  us  so  wisely  and  well,  there  are 
not  many  Eternals,  but  one  Eternal.  Therefore  good- 
ness must  be  the  Spirit  of  God ;  and  God  must  be  the 
Spirit  of  goodness ;  and  right  is  nothing  else  but  the 
character  of  the  everlasting  God,  and  of  those  who  are 
inspired  by  God. 

What  is  wrong,  then?  Whatever  is  unlike  right; 
whatever  is  unlike  goodness;  whatever  is  unlike  God; 
that  is  wrong.  And  why  does  God  forbid  us  to  do 
wrong  ?  Simply  because  wrong  is  unlike  himself.  He 
is  perfectly  beautiful,  perfectly  blest  and  happy,  because 
he  is  perfectly  good;  and  he  wishes  to  see  all  his 
creatures  beautiful,  blest,  and  happy :  but  they  can  only 
be  so  by  being  perfectly  good;  and  they  can  only  be 
perfectly  good  by  being  perfectly  like  God  their  Father ; 
and  they  can  only  be  perfectly  like  God  the  Father 
by  being  full  of  love,  loving  their  neighbour  as  them- 
selves. 

For  what  do  we  mean  when  we  talk  of  right,  right- 
eousness, goodness? 

Many  answers  have  been  given  to  that  question. 

The  old  Romans,  who  were  a  stern,  legal-minded 
people,  used  to  say  that  righteousness  meant  to  hurt  no 


5^ 


THE  ETERNAL  GOODNESS.  [SERM. 


man,  and  to  give  every  man  his  own.  The  Eastern 
people  had  a  better  answer  still,  which  our  blessed  Lord 
used  in  one  place,  when  he  told  them  that  righteousness 
was  to  do  to  other  people  as  we  would  they  should  do 
to  us :  but  the  best  answer,  the  perfect  answer,  is  our 
Lord's  in  the  text,  'Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as 
thyself.'  This  is  the  true,  eternal  righteousness.  Not 
a  legal  righteousness,  not  a  righteousness  made  up  of 
forms  and  ceremonies,  of  keeping  days  holy,  and  ab- 
staining from  meats,  or  any  other  arbitrary  commands, 
whether  of  God  or  of  man.  This  is  God's  goodness, 
God's  righteousness,  Christ's  own  goodness  and  right- 
eousness. Do  you  not  see  what  I  mean?  Remember 
only  one  word  of  St.  John's.  God  is  love.  Love  is  the 
goodness  of  God.  God  is  perfectly  good,  because  he  is 
perfect  love.  Then  if  you  are  full  of  love,  you  are 
good  with  the  same  goodness  with  which  God  is  good, 
and  righteous  with  Christ's  righteousness.  That  was 
what  St.  Paul  wished  to  be,  when  he  wished  to  be  found 
in  Christ,  not  having  his  own  righteousness,  but  the 
righteousness  which  is  by  faith  in  Christ.  His  own 
righteousness  was  the  selfish  and  self-conceited  right- 
eousness which  he  had  before  his  conversion,  made  up 
of  forms,  and  ceremonies,  and  doctrines,  which  made 
him  narrow-hearted,  bigoted,  self-conceited,  fierce,  cruel, 
a  persecutor;  the  righteousness  which  made  him  stand 
by  in  cold  blood  to  see  St.  Stephen  stoned.  But  the 
righteousness  which  is  by  faith  in  Christ  is  a  loving 
heart,  and  a  loving  life,  which  every  man  will  long  to 
lead  who  believes  really  in  Jesus  Christ.     For  when  he 


V.]  THE  ETERNAL  GOODNESS.  37 


looks  at  Christ,  Christ's  humiliation,  Christ's  work, 
Christ's  agony,  Christ's  death,  and  sees  in  it  nothing 
but  utter  and  perfect  Love  to  poor  sinful,  undeserving 
man,  then  his  heart  makes  answer,  Yes,  I  believe  in 
that !  I  believe  and  am  sure  that  that  is  the  most 
beautiful  character  in  the  world ;  that  that  is  the  utterly 
noble  and  right  sort  of  person  to  be — full  of  love  as 
Christ  was.  I  ought  U.  be  like  that.  My  conscience 
tells  me  that  I  ought.  And  I  can  be  like  that.  Christ, 
who  was  so  good  himself,  must  wish  to  make  me  good 
like  himself,  and  I  can  trust  him  to  do  it.  I  can  have 
faith  in  him,  that  he  will  make  me  like  himself,  full  of 
the  Spirit  of  love,  without  which  I  shall  be  only  useless 
and  miserable.  And  I  trust  him  enough  to  be  sure  that, 
good  as  he  is,  he  cannot  mean  to  leave  me  useless  or 
miserable.  So,  by  true  faith  in  Christ,  the  man  comes 
to  have  Christ's  righteousness — that  is,  to  be  loving  as 
Christ  was.  He  believes  that  Christ's  loving  character 
is  perfect  beauty;  that  he  must  be  the  Son  of  God, 
if  his  character  be  like  that.  He  believes  that  Christ 
can  and  will  fill  him  with  the  same  spirit  of  love ;  and  as 
he  believes,  so  is  it  with  him,  and  in  him  those  words 
are  fulfilled,  'Whosoever  shall  confess  that  Jesus  is  the 
Son  of  God,  God  dwelleth  in  him,  and  he  in  God and 
that  'If  a  man  love  me,'  says  the  Lord,  'I  and  my 
Father  will  come  to  him,  and  take  up  our  abode  with 
him.'  Those  are  wonderful  words :  but  if  you  will 
recollect  what  I  have  just  said,  you  may  understand  a 
little  of  them.  St.  John  puts  the  same  thing  very  simply, 
but  very  boldly.    '  God  is  Love,'  he  says,  '  and  he  that 


38 


THE  ETERNAL  GOODNESS. 


[SERM. 


dwelleth  in  love,  dwelleth  in  God,  and  God  in  him.' 
Strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  must  be  so  if  God  be  love. 
Let  us  thank  God  that  it  is  true,  and  keep  in  mind  what 
awful  and  wonderful  creatures  we  are,  that  God  should 
dwell  in  us ;  what  blessed  and  glorious  creatures  we  may 
become  in  time,  if  we  will  only  listen  to  the  voice  of 
God  who  speaks  within  our  hearts. 

And  what  does  that  voice  say?  The  old  command- 
ment, my  friends,  which  was  from  the  beginning,  '  Love 
one  another.'  Whatever  thoughts  or  feeling  in  your 
hearts  contradict  that ;  whatever  tempts  you  to  despise 
your  neighbour,  to  be  angry  with  him,  to  suspect  him,  to 
fancy  him  shut  out  from  God's  love,  that  is  not  of  God. 
No  voice  in  our  hearts  is  God's  voice,  but  what  says  in 
some  shape  or  other,  'Love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself. 
Care  for  him,  bear  with  him  long,  and  try  to  do  him 
good.' 

For  love  is  of  God,  and  every  one  that  loveth  is  born 
of  God,  and  knoweth  God.  He  that  loveth  not  knoweth 
not  God,  for  God  is  love.  Still  less  can  he  who  is 
not  loving  fulfil  the  law ;  for  the  law  of  God  is  the  very 
pattern  and  picture  of  God's  character;  and  if  a  man 
does  not  know  what  God  is  like,  he  will  never  know 
what  God's  law  is  like;  and  though  he  may  read  his 
Bible  all  day  long,  he  will  learn  no  more  from  it  than 
a  dumb  animal  will,  unless  his  heart  is  full  of  love. 
For  love  is  the  light  by  which  we  see  God,  by  which 
we  understand  his  Bible ;  by  which  we  understand 
our  duty,  and  God's  dealings,  in  the  world.  Love  is 
the  light  by  which  we  understand  our  own  hearts; 


THE  ETERNAL  GOODNESS. 


39 


by  which  we  understand  our  neighbours'  hearts.  So 
it  is.  If  you  hate  any  man,  or  have  a  spite  against  him, 
you  will  never  know  what  is  in  that  man's  heart,  never 
be  able  to  form  a  just  opinion  of  his  character.  If  you 
want  to  understand  human  beings,  or  to  do  justice  to 
their  feelings,  you  must  begin  by  loving  them  heartily 
and  freely,  and  the  more  you  like  them  the  better  you 
will  understand  them,  and  in  general  the  better  you  will 
find  them  to  be  at  heart,  the  more  worthy  of  your  trust, 
at  least  the  more  worthy  of  your  compassion. 

At  least,  so  St.  John  says,  '  He  that  saith  he  is  in  the 
light,  and  hates  his  brother,  is  in  darkness  even  till  now, 
and  knoweth  not  whither  he  goeth.  But  he  that  loveth 
his  brother  abideth  in  the  light,  and  there  is  no  occasion 
of  stumbling  in  him.' 

No  occasion  of  stumbling.  That  is  of  making  mis- 
takes in  our  behaviour  to  our  neighbours,  which  cause 
scandal,  drive  them  from  us,  and  make  them  suspect  us, 
dislike  us — and  perhaps  with  too  good  reason.  Just 
think  for  yourselves.  What  does  half  the  misery,  and 
all  the  quarrelling  in  the  world  come  from,  but  from 
people's  loving  themselves  better  than  their  neighbours? 
Would  children  be  disobedient  and  neglectful  to  their 
parents,  if  they  did  not  love  themselves  better  than  their 
parents  ?  Why  does  a  man  kill,  commit  adultery,  steal, 
bear  false  witness,  covet  his  neighbour's  goods,  his  neigh- 
bour's custom,  his  neighbour's  rights,  but  because  he 
loves  his  own  pleasure  or  interest  better  than  his  neigh- 
bour's, loves  himself  better  than  the  man  whom  he 
wrongs  ?   Would  a  man  take  advantage  of  his  neighbour 


4o 


THE  ETERNAL  GOODNESS. 


[SERM. 


if  he  loved  him  as  well  as  himself?  Would  he  be  hard 
on  his  neighbour,  and  say,  Pay  me  the  uttermost  farthing, 
if  he  loved  him  as  he  loves  himself?  Would  he  speak 
evil  of  his  neighbour  behind  his  back,  if  he  loved  him  as 
himself?  Would  he  cross  his  neighbour's  temper,  just 
because  he  will  have  his  own  way,  right  or  wrong,  if  he 
loved  him  as  himself?  Judge  for  yourselves.  What 
would  the  world  become  like  this  moment  if  every  man 
loved  his  neighbour  as  himself,  thought  of  his  neighbour 
as  much  as  he  thinks  of  himself?  Would  it  not  become 
heaven  on  earth  at  once?  There  would  be  no  need 
then  for  soldiers  and  policemen,  lawyers,  rates  and  taxes, 
my  friends,  and  all  the  expensive  and  heavy  machinery 
which  is  now  needed  to  force  people  into  keeping  some- 
thing of  God's  law.  Ay,  there  would  be  no  need  of 
sermons,  preachers  and  prophets  to  tell  men  of  God's 
law,  and  warn  them  of  the  misery  of  breaking  it.  They 
would  keep  the  law  of  their  own  free-will,  by  love.  For 
love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law;  and  as  St.  Augustine 
says,  '  Love  you  neighbour,  and  then  do  what  you  will — 
because  you  will  be  sure  to  will  what  is  right.'  So  truly 
did  our  Lord  say,  that  on  this  one  commandment  hung 
all  the  law  and  the  prophets. 

But  though  that  blessed  state  of  things  will  not  come 
to  the  whole  world  till  the  day  when  Christ  shall  reign 
in  that  new  heaven  and  new  earth,  in  which  Righteous- 
ness shall  dwell,  still  it  may  come  here,  now,  on  earth, 
to  each  and  every  one  of  us,  if  we  will  but  ask  from  God 
the  blessed  gift ;  to  love  our  neighbour  as  we  love  our- 
selves. 


THE  ETERNAL  GOODNESS. 


41 


And  then,  my  friends,  whether  we  be  rich  or  poor, 
fortunate  or  unfortunate,  still  that  spirit  of  Love  which  is 
the  Spirit  of  God,  will  be  its  exceeding  great  reward. 

I  say,  its  own  reward. 

For  what  is  to  be  our  reward,  if  we  do  our  duty 
earnestly,  however  imperfectly  ?  '  Well  done,  thou  good 
and  faithful  servant,  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord.' 

And  what  is  the  joy  of  our  Lord  ?  What  is  the  joy 
of  Christ?  The  joy  and  delight  which  springs  for  ever 
in  his  great  heart,  from  feeling  that  he  is  for  ever  doing 
good  ;  from  loving  all,  and  living  for  all ;  from  knowing 
that  if  not  all,  yet  millions  on  millions  are  grateful  to  him, 
and  will  be  for  ever. 

My  friends,  if  you  have  ever  done  a  kind  action ; 
if  you  have  ever  helped  any  one  in  distress,  or  given 
up  a  pleasure  for  the  sake  of  others — do  you  not  know 
that  that  deed  gave  you  a  peace,  a  self-content,  a  joy  for 
the  moment  at  least,  which  nothing  in  this  world  could 
give,  or  take  away  ?  And  if  the  person  whom  you  helped 
thanked  you ;  if  you  felt  that  you  had  made  that  man 
your  friend ;  that  he  trusted  you  now,  looked  on  you 
now  as  a  brother — did  not  that  double  the  pleasure? 
I  ask  you,  is  there  any  pleasure  in  the  world  like  that 
of  doing  good,  and  being  thanked  for  it  ?  Then  that  is 
the  joy  of  your  Lord.  That  is  the  joy  of  Christ  rising 
up  in  you,  as  often  as  you  do  good ;  the  love  which  is  in 
you  rejoicing  in  itself,  because  it  has  found  a  loving 
thing  to  do,  and  has  called  out  the  love  of  a  human 
being  in  return. 

Yes,  if  you  will  receive  it,  that  is  the  joy  of  Christ — 


42 


THE  ETERNAL  GOODNESS. 


the  glorious  knowledge  that  he  is  doing  endless  good, 
and  calling  out  endless  love  to  himself  and  to  the  Father, 
till  the  day  when  he  shall  give  up  to  his  Father  the 
kingdom  which  he  has  won  back  from  sin  and  death, 
and  God  shall  be  all  in  all. 

That  is  the  joy  of  your  Lord.  If  you  wish  for  any 
different  sort  of  joy  after  you  die,  you  must  not  ask  me 
to  tell  you  of  it ;  for  I  know  nothing  about  the  matter 
save  what  I  find  written  in  the  Holy  Scripture. 


SERMON  VI. 


WORSHIP. 
Isaiah  i.  12,  13. 

When  ye  come  to  appear  before  me,  who  hath  required  this  at 
your  hand,  to  tread  my  courts  ?  Bring  no  more  vain  oblations  ; 
incense  is  an  abomination  unto  me ;  the  new  moons  and  sabbaths, 
the  calling  of  assemblies,  I  cannot  away  with  ;  it  is  iniquity,  even 
the  solemn  meeting. 

"T^HIS  is  a  very  awful  text ;  one  of  those  which  terrify 
us — or  at  least  ought  to  terrify  us — and  set  us  on 
asking  ourselves  seriously  and  honestly — 'What  do  I 
believe  after  all  ?  What  manner  of  man  am  I  after  all  ? 
What  sort  of  show  should  I  make  after  all,  if  the  people 
round  me  knew  my  heart  and  all  my  secret  thoughts? 
What  sort  of  show,  then,  do  I  already  make,  in  the  sight 
of  Almighty  God,  who  sees  every  man  exactly  as  he  is  ?' 

I  say,  such  texts  as  this  ought  to  terrify  us.  It  is 
good  to  be  terrified  now  and  then ;  to  be  startled,  and 
called  to  account,  and  set  thinking,  and  sobered,  as  it 
were,  now  and  then,  that  we  may  look  at  ourselves  honestly 
and  bravely,  and  see,  if  we  can,  what  sort  of  men  we  are. 

And  therefore,  perhaps,  it  is  that  this  chapter  is 
chosen  for  the  first  Advent  Lesson;  to  prepare  us  for 
Christmas;  to  frighten  us  somewhat;  at  least  to  set  us 
thinking  seriously,  and  to  make  us  fit  to  keep  Christmas 
in  spirit  and  in  truth. 


44  WORSHIP.  [serm. 


For  whom  does  this  text  speak  of? 

It  speaks  of  religious  people,  and  of  a  religious  nation ; 
and  of  a  fearful  mistake  which  they  were  making,  and 
a  fearful  danger  into  which  they  had  fallen.  Now  we 
are  religious  people,  and  England  is  a  religious  nation ; 
and  therefore  we  may  possibly  make  the  same  mistake, 
and  fall  into  the  same  danger,  as  these  old  Jews. 

I  do  not  say  that  we  have  done  so ;  but  we  may ; 
for  human  nature  is  just  the  same  now  as  it  was  then ; 
and  therefore  it  is  as  well  for  us  to  look  round — at  least 
once  now  and  then,  and  see  whether  we  too  are  in  danger 
of  falling,  while  we  think  that  we  are  standing  safe. 

What  does  Isaiah,  then,  tell  the  religious  Jews  of  his 
day? 

That  their  worship  of  God,  their  church-going,  their 
sabbaths,  and  their  appointed  feasts  were  a  weariness 
and  an  abomination  to  him.  That  God  loathed  them, 
and  would  not  listen  to  the  prayers  which  were  made  in 
them.  That  the  whole  matter  was  a  mockery  and  a  lie 
in  his  sight. 

These  are  awful  words  enough — that  God  should  hate 
and  loathe  what  he  himself  had  appointed;  that  what 
would  be,  one  would  think,  one  of  the  most  natural  and 
most  pleasant  sights  to  a  loving  Father  in  heaven — 
namely,  his  own  children  worshipping,  blessing,  and 
praising  him — should  be  horrible  in  his  sight.  There  is 
something  very  shocking  in  that;  at  least  to  Church 
people  like  us.  If  we  were  Dissenters,  who  go  to  chapel 
chiefly  to  hear  sermons,  it  would  be  easy  for  us  to  say — 
'  Of  course,  forms  and  ceremonies  and  appointed  feasts 


VI.] 


WORSHIP. 


45 


are  nothing  to  begin  with ;  they  are  man's  invention  at 
best,  and  may  therefore  be  easily  enough  an  abomination 
to  God.'  But  we  know  that  they  are  not  so ;  that  forms 
and  ceremonies  and  appointed  feasts  are  good  things  as 
long  as  they  have  spirit  and  truth  in  them ;  that  whether 
or  not  they  be  of  man's  invention,  they  spring  out  of  the 
most  simple,  wholesome  wants  of  our  human  nature, 
which  is  a  good  thing  and  not  a  bad  one,  for  God  made 
it  in  his  own  likeness,  and  bestowed  it  on  us.  We  know, 
or  ought  to  know,  that  appointed  feast  days,  like  Christ- 
mas, are  good  and  comfortable  ordinances,  which  cheer 
our  hearts  on  our  way  through  this  world,  and  give  us 
something  noble  and  lovely  to  look  forward  to  month 
after  month ;  that  they  are  like  land-marks  along  the 
road  of  life,  reminding  us  of  what  God  has  done,  and 
is  doing,  for  us  and  all  mankind.  And  if  you  do  not 
know,  I  know,  that  people  who  throw  away  ordinances 
and  festivals  end,  at  least  in  a  generation  or  two,  in 
throwing  away  the  Gospel  truth  which  that  ordinance 
or  festival  reminds  us  of ;  just  as  too  many  who  have 
thrown  away  Good  Friday  have  thrown  away  the  Good 
Friday  good  news,  that  Christ  died  for  all  mankind ;  and 
too  many  who  have  thrown  away  Christmas  are  throwing 
away — often  without  meaning  to  do  so — the  Christmas 
good  news,  that  Christ  really  took  on  himself  the  whole 
of  our  human  nature,  and  took  the  manhood  into  God. 

So  it  is,  my  friends,  and  so  it  will  be.  For  these 
forms  and  festivals  are  the  old  land-marks  and  beacons 
of  the  Gospel ;  and  if  a  man  will  not  look  at  the  land- 
marks, then  he  will  lose  his  way. 


46 


WORSHIP. 


[SERM. 


Therefore,  to  Church  people  like  us,  it  ought  to  be 
a  shocking  thing  even  to  suspect  that  God  may  be  saying 
to  us,  '  Your  appointed  feasts  my  soul  hateth  f  and  it 
ought  to  set  them  seriously  thinking  how  such  a  thing 
may  happen,  that  they  may  guard  against  it.  For  if  God 
be  not  pleased  with  our  coming  to  his  house,  what  right 
have  we  in  his  house  at  all  ? 

But  recollect  this,  my  dear  friends,  that  we  are  not  to 
use  this  text  to  search  and  judge  others'  faults,  but  to 
search  and  judge  our  own. 

For  if  a  man,  hearing  this  sermon,  looks  at  his  neigh- 
bour across  the  church,  and  says  in  his  heart,  '  Ay,  such 
a  bad  one  as  he  is — what  right  has  he  in  church  ?' — then 
God  answers  that  man,  'Who  art  thou  who  judgest 
another?  To  his  own  master  he  standeth  or  falleth.' 
Yes,  my  friends,  recollect  what  the  old  tomb-stone  outside 
says — (and  right  good  doctrine  it  is) — and  fit  it  to  this 
sermon. 

When  this  you  see,  pray  judge  not  me 

For  sin  enough  I  own. 
Judge  yourselves  ;  mend  your  lives  ; 

Leave  other  folks  alone. 

But  if  a  man,  hearing  this  sermon,  begins  to  say  to 
himself,  Such  a  man  as  I  am — so  full  of  faults  as  I  am — 
what  right  have  I  in  church  ?  So  selfish — so  uncharitable 
— so  worldly — so  useless — so  unfair  (or  whatever  other 
faults  the  man  may  feel  guilty  of) — in  one  word,  so  unlike 
what  I  ought  to  be — so  unlike  Christ — so  unlike  God 
whom  I  come  to  worship.  How  little  I  act  up  to  what 
I  believe  !  how  little  I  really  believe  what  I  have  learnt ! 
what  right  have  I  in  church  1    What  if  God  were  saying 


VI.] 


WORSHIP. 


47 


the  same  of  me  as  he  said  of  those  old  Jews,  'Thy 
church-going,  thy  coming  to  communion,  thy  Christmas- 
day,  my  soul  hateth ;  I  am  weary  to  bear  it.  Who  hath 
required  this  at  thy  hands,  to  tread  my  courts  ?'  People 
round  me  may  think  me  good  enough  as  men  go  now ; 
but  I  know  myself  too  well ;  and  I  know  that  instead  of 
saying  with  the  Pharisee  to  any  man  here,  '  I  thank  God 
that  I  am  not  as  this  man  or  that,'  I  ought  rather  to 
stand  afar  off  like  the  publican,  and  not  lift  up  so  much 
as  my  eyes  toward  heaven,  crying  only  '  God,  be  merciful 
to  me  a  sinner.' 

If  a  man  should  think  thus,  my  friends,  his  thoughts 
may  make  him  very  serious  for  awhile ;  nay,  very  sad. 
But  they  need  not  make  him  miserable :  need  still  less 
make  him  despair. 

They  ought  to  set  him  on  thinking — Why  do  I  come 
to  church  ? 

Because  it  is  the  fashion  ? 

Because  I  want  to  hear  the  preacher  ? 

No — to  worship  God. 

But  what  is  worshipping  God  ? 

That  must  depend  entirely  my  friends,  upon  who  God 

is. 

As  I  often  tell  you,  most  questions — ay,  if  you  will 
receive  it,  all  questions — depend  upon  this  one  root 
question,  who  is  God? 

But  certainly  this  question  of  worshipping  God  must 
depend  upon  who  God  is.  For  how  he  ought  to  be 
worshipped  depends  on  what  will  please  him.  And  what 
will  please  him,  depends  on  what  his  character  is. 


4s 


WORSHIP. 


[SERM. 


If  God  be,  as  some  fancy,  hard  and  arbitrary,  then  you 
must  worship  him  in  a  way  in  which  a  hard  arbitrary 
person  would  like  to  be  addressed;  with  all  crouching, 
and  cringing,  and  slavish  terror. 

If  God  be  again,  as  some  fancy,  cold,  and  hard  of 
hearing,  then  you  must  worship  him  accordingly.  You 
must  cry  aloud  as  Baal's  priests  did  to  catch  his  notice, 
and  put  yourselves  to  torment  (as  they  did,  and  as  many 
a  Christian  has  done  since)  to  move  his  pity ;  and  you 
must  use  repetitions  as  the  heathen  do,  and  believe  that 
you  will  be  heard  for  your  much  speaking.  The  Lord 
Jesus  called  all  such  repetitions  vain,  and  much  speaking 
a  fancy :  but  then,  the  Lord  Jesus  spoke  to  men  of  a 
Father  in  heaven,  a  very  different  God  from  such  as  I 
speak  of — and,  alas  !  some  Christian  people  believe  in. 

But,  my  friends,  if  you  believe  in  your  heavenly 
Father,  the  good  God  whom  your  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
has  revealed  to  you ;  and  if  you  will  consider  that  he  is 
good,  and  consider  what  that  word  good  means,  then 
you  will  not  have  far  to  seek  before  you  find  what 
worship  means,  and  how  you  can  worship  him  in  spirit 
and  in  truth. 

For  if  God  be  good,  worshipping  him  must  mean 
praising  and  admiring  him — adoring  him,  as  we  call  it — 
for  being  good. 

And  nothing  more  ? 

Certainly  much  more.  Also  to  ask  him  to  make  us 
good.  That,  too,  must  be  a  part  of  worshipping  a  good 
God.  For  the  very  property  of  goodness  is,  that  it 
wishes  to  make  others  good.  And  if  God  be  good,  he 
must  wish  to  make  us  good  also. 


VI.] 


WORSHIP. 


-19 


To  adore  God,  then,  for  his  goodness,  and  to  pray  to 
him  to  make  us  good,  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  all 
wholesome  worship. 

And  for  that  purpose  a  man  may  come  to  church,  and 
worship  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  though  he  be  dis- 
satisfied with  himself,  and  ashamed  of  himself,  and  knows 
that  he  is  wrong  in  many  things  : — provided  always  that 
he  wishes  to  be  set  right,  and  made  good. 

For  he  may  come  saying,  '  0  God,  thou  art  good,  and 
I  am  bad ;  and  for  that  very  reason  I  come.  I  come  to 
be  made  good.  I  admire  thy  goodness,  and  I  long  to 
copy  it ;  but  I  cannot  unless  thou  help  me.  Purge  me ; 
make  me  clean.  Cleanse  thou  me  from  my  secret  faults, 
and  give  me  truth  in  the  inward  parts.  Do  what  thou 
wilt  with  me.  Train  me  as  thou  wilt  Punish  me  if  it 
be  necessary.    Only  make  me  good.' 

Then  is  the  man  fit  indeed  to  come  to  church,  sins 
and  all : — if  he  carry  his  sins  into  church  not  to  carry 
them  out  again  safely  and  carefully,  as  we  are  all  too  apt 
to  do,  but  to  cast  them  down  at  the  foot  of  Christ's  cross, 
in  the  hope  (and  no  man  ever  hoped  that  hope  in  vain) 
— that  he  will  be  lightened  of  that  burden,  and  leave 
some  of  them  at  least  behind  him.  Ay,  no  man,  I  say, 
ever  hoped  that  in  vain.  No  man  ever  yet  felt  the 
burden  of  his  sins  really  intolerable  and  unbearable,  but 
what  the  burden  of  his  sins  was  taken  off  him  before  all 
was  over,  and  Christ's  righteousness  given  to  him  instead. 

Then  a  man  is  fit,  not  only  to  come  to  church,  but  to 
come  to  Holy  Communion  on  Christmas-day,  and  all 
days.    For  then  and  there  he  will  find  put  into  words 

E 


So 


WORSHIP. 


for  him  the  very  deepest  sorrows  and  longings  of  his 
heart.  There  he  may  say  as  heartily  as  he  can  (and  the 
more  heartily  the  better),  '  I  acknowledge  and  bewail  my 

manifold  sins  and  wickedness  The  remembrance  of 

them  is  grievous  unto  me ;  the  burden  of  them  is  in- 
tolerable :'  but  there  he  will  hear  Christ  promising  in 
return  to  pardon  and  deliver  him  from  all  his  sins,  to 
confirm  and  strengthen  him  in  all  goodness.  That  last 
is  what  he  ought  to  want ;  and  if  he  wants  it,  he  will 
surely  find  it. 

He  may  join  there  with  the  whole  universe  of  God  in 
crying,  '  Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  of  Hosts,  heaven 
and  earth  are  full  of  Thy  glory :'  and  still  in  the  same 
breath  he  may  confess  again  his  unworthiness  so  much 
as  to  gather  up  the  crumbs  under  God's  table,  and  cast 
himself  simply  and  utterly  upon  the  eternal  property  of 
God's  eternal  essence,  which  is — always  to  have  mercy. 
But  he  will  hear  forthwith  Christ's  own  answer — '  If  thou 
art  bad,  I  can  and  will  make  thee  good.  My  blood 
shall  wash  away  thy  sin :  my  body  shall  preserve  thee, 
body,  soul,  and  spirit,  to  the  everlasting  life  of  goodness.' 

And  so  God  will  bless  that  man's  communion  to  him ; 
and  bless  to  him  his  keeping  of  Christmas-day ;  because 
out  of  a  true  penitent  heart  and  lively  faith  he  will  be 
offering  to  the  good  God  the  sacrifice  of  his  own  bad  self, 
that  God  may  take  it,  and  make  it  good ;  and  so  will  be 
worshipping  the  everlasting  and  infinite  Goodness,  in 
spirit  and  in  truth. 


SERMON  VII. 


GOD'S  INHERITANCE. 


Gal.  iv.  6,  7. 


Because  ye  are  sons,  God  hath  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into 
your  hearts,  crying,  Abba,  Father.  Wherefore  thou  art  no  more 
a  servant,  but  a  son ;  and  if  a  son,  then  an  heir  of  God  through 


'HIS  is  the  second  good  news  of  Christmas-day. 


The  first  is,  that  the  Son  of  God  became  man. 
The  second  is,  why  he  became  man.     That  men 
might  become  the  sons  of  God  through  him. 

Therefore  St.  Paul  says,  You  are  the  sons  of  God. 
Not — you  may  be,  if  you  are  very  good :  but  you  are, 
in  order  that  you  may  become  very  good.  Your  being 
good  does  not  tell  you  that  you  are  the  sons  of  God  : 
your  baptism  tells  you  so.  Your  baptism  gives  you  a 
right  to  say,  I  am  the  child  of  God.  How  shall  I 
behave  then  ?  What  ought  a  child  of  God  to  be  like  ? 
Now  St.  Paul,  you  see,  knew  well  that  we  could  not 
make  ourselves  God's  children  by  any  feelings,  fancies, 
or  experiences  of  our  own.  But  he  knew  just  as  well 
that  we  cannot  make  ourselves  behave  as  God's  children 
should,  by  any  thoughts  and  trying  of  our  own. 

God  alone  made  us  His  children;  God  alone  can 
make  us  behave  like  his  children. 


Christ. 


52  GOD'S  INHERITANCE.  [SERM. 


And  therefore  St.  Paul  says,  God  has  sent  the  Spirit 
of  his  Son  into  our  hearts  :  by  which  we  cry  to  God,  Our 
Father. 

But  some  will  say,  Have  we  that  Spirit? 
St.  Paul  says  that  you  have :  and  surely  he  speaks 
truth. 

Let  us  search,  then,  and  see  where  that  Spirit  is  in 
us.  It  is  a  great  and  awful  honour  for  sinful  men :  but 
I  do  believe  that  if  we  seek,  we  shall  find  that  He  is  not 
far  from  any  one  of  us,  for  in  Him  we  live  and  move, 
and  have  our  being ;  and  all  in  us  which  is  not  ignorance, 
falsehood,  folly,  and  filth,  comes  from  Him. 

Now  the  Bible  says  that  this  Spirit  is  the  Spirit  of 
God's  Son,  the  Spirit  of  Christ :— and  what  sort  of  Spirit 
is  that  ? 

We  may  see  by  remembering  what  sort  of  a  Spirit 
Christ  had  when  on  earth ;  for  He  certainly  has  the 
same  Spirit  now — the  Spirit  which  proceedeth  ever- 
lastingly from  the  Father  and  from  the  Son. 

And  what  was  that  Like?  What  was  Christ  Like? 
What  was  his  Spirit  Like  ?  It  was  a  Spirit  of  Love, 
mercy,  pity,  generosity,  usefulness,  unselfishness.  A 
spirit  of  truth,  honour,  fearless  love  of  what  was  right : 
a  spirit  of  duty  and  willing  obedience,  which  made  Him 
rejoice  in  doing  His  Father's  will.  In  all  things  the 
spirit  of  a  perfect  Son,  in  all  things  a  lovely,  noble,  holy 
spirit. 

And  now,  my  dear  friends,  is  there  nothing  in  you 
like  that  ?  You  may  forget  it  at  times,  you  may  disobey 
it  very  often :  but  is  there  not  something  in  all  your 


VII.] 


GOD'S  INHERITANCE. 


53 


hearts  more  or  less,  which  makes  you  love  and  admire 
what  is  right  ? 

When  you  hear  of  a  noble  action,  is  there  nothing  in 
you  which  makes  you  approve  and  admire  it  ?  Is  there 
nothing  in  your  hearts  which  makes  you  pity  those  who 
are  in  sorrow  and  long  to  help  them?  Nothing  which 
stirs  your  heart  up  when  you  hear  of  a  man's  nobly 
doing  his  duty,  and  dying  rather  than  desert  his  post,  or 
do  a  wrong  or  mean  thing?  Surely  there  is — surely 
there  is. 

Then,  O  my  dear  friends,  when  those  feelings  come 
into  your  hearts,  rejoice  with  trembling,  as  men  to  whom 
God  has  given  a  great  and  precious  gift.  For  they  are 
none  other  than  the  Spirit  of  the  Son  of  God,  striving 
with  your  hearts  that  He  may  form  Christ  in  you,  and 
raise  up  your  hearts  to  cry  with  full  faith  to  God,  '  My 
Father  which  art  in  heaven  !' 

•  Ah  but,'  you  will  say,  '  we  like  what  is  right,  but  we 
do  not  always  do  it.  We  like  to  see  pity  and  mercy : 
but  we  are  very  often  proud  and  selfish  and  tyrannical. 
We  like  to  see  justice  and  honour :  but  we  are  too  apt 
to  be  mean  and  unjust  ourselves.  We  like  to  see  other 
people  doing  their  duty :  but  we  very  often  do  not  do 
ours. 

Well,  my  dear  friends,  perhaps  that  is  true.  If  it  be, 
confess  your  sins  like  honest  men,  and  they  shall  be 
forgiven  you.  If  you  can  so  complain  of  yourselves, 
I  am  sure  I  can  of  myself,  ten  times  more. 

But  do  you  not  see  that  this  very  thing  is  a  sign  to 
you  that  the  good  and  noble  thoughts  in  you  are  not 


54 


COD'S  INHERITANCE. 


[SERM. 


your  own  but  God's  1  If  they  came  out  of  your  own 
spirits,  then  you  would  have  no  difficulty  in  obeying 
them.  But  they  came  out  of  God's  Spirit;  and  our 
sinful  and  self-willed  spirits  are  striving  against  his,  and 
trying  to  turn  away  from  God's  light.  What  can  we  do 
then  1  We  can  cherish  those  noble  thoughts,  those  pure 
and  higher  feelings,  when  they  arise.  We  can  welcome 
them  as  heavenly  medicine  from  our  heavenly  Father. 
We  can  resolve  not  to  turn  away  from  them,  even  though 
they  make  us  ashamed.  Not  to  grieve  the  Spirit  of  the 
Son  of  God,  even  though  he  grieves  us  (as  he  ought  to 
do  and  will  do  more  and  more),  by  showing  us  our  own 
weakness  and  meanness,  and  how  unlike  we  are  to 
Christ,  the  only  begotten  Son. 

If  we  shut  our  hearts  to  those  good  feelings,  they  will 
go  away  and  leave  us.  And  if  they  do,  we  shall  neither 
respect  our  neighbours,  nor  respect  ourselves.  We  shall 
see  no  good  in  our  neighbours,  but  become  scornful  and 
suspicious  to  them ;  and  if  we  do  that,  we  shall  soon  see 
no  good  in  ourselves.  We  shall  become  discontented 
with  ourselves,  more  and  more  given  up  to  angry 
thoughts  and  mean  ways,  which  we  hate  and  despise,  all 
the  while  that  we  go  on  in  them. 

And  then — mark  my  words — we  shall  lose  all  real 
feeling  of  God  being  our  Father,  and  we  his  sons.  We 
shall  begin  to  fancy  ourselves  his  slaves,  and  not  his 
children ;  and  God  our  taskmaster,  and  not  our  Father. 
We  shall  dislike  the  thought  of  God.  We  shall  long  to 
hide  from  God.  We  shall  fall  back  into  slavish  terror, 
and  a  fearful  looking  forward  to  of  judgment  and  fiery 


VII.] 


GOD'S  INHERITANCE. 


55 


indignation,  because  we  have  trampled  under  foot  the 
grace  of  God,  the  noble,  pure,  tender,  and  truly  graceful 
feelings  which  God's  Spirit  bestowed  on  us,  to  fill  us 
with  the  grace  of  Christ. 

Therefore,  my  dear  friends,  never  check  any  good  or 
right  feelings  in  yourselves,  or  in  your  children  ;  for  they 
come  from  the  spirit  of  the  Son  of  God  himself.  But, 
as  St.  Paul  says,  Phil.  iv.  3,  '  Finally,  brethren,  whatsoever 
things  are  honourable,  whatsoever  things  are  just,  what- 
soever things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovely, 
whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report;  if  there  be  any 
virtue,  and  if  there  be  any  praise,  think  on  these  things' 
. . . .'  and  the  God  of  peace  shall  be  with  you.'  Avoid  all 
which  can  make  you  mean,  low,  selfish,  cruel.  Cling 
to  all  which  can  fill  your  mind  with  lofty,  kindly, 
generous,  loyal  thoughts ;  and  so,  in  God's  good  time, 
you  will  enter  into  the  meaning  of  those  great  words — 
Abba,  Father.  The  more  you  give  up  your  hearts  to 
such  good  feelings,  the  more  you  will  understand  of 
God ;  the  more  nobleness  there  is  in  you,  the  more  you 
will  see  God's  nobleness,  God's  justice,  God's  love, 
God's  true  glory.  The  more  you  become  like  God's 
Son,  the  more  you  will  understand  how  God  can  stoop 
to  call  himself  your  Father ;  and  the  more  you  will 
understand  what  a  Father,  what  a  perfect  Father  God  is. 
And  in  the  world  to  come,  I  trust,  you  will  enter  into 
the  glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God — that  liberty 
which  comes,  as  I  told  you  last  Sunday,  not  from  doing 
your  own  will,  but  the  will  of  God;  that  glory  which 
comes,  not  from  having  anything  of  your  own  to  pride 


GOD'S  INHERITANCE. 


yourselves  upon,  but  from  being  filled  with  the  Spirit  of 
God,  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  by  which  you  shall  for 
ever  look  up  freely,  and  yet  reverently,  to  the  Almighty 
God  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  say,  '  Impossible  as  the 
honour  seems  for  man,  yet  thou,  O  God,  hast  said  it, 
and  it  is  true.  Thou,  even  thou  art  my  Father,  and 
I  thy  son  in  Jesus  Christ,  who  became  awhile  the  Son 
of  man  on  earth,  that  I  might  become  for  ever  the  son 
of  God  in  heaven.' 

And  so  will  come  true  to  us  St.  Paul's  great  words : 
— If  we  be  sons,  then  heirs  of  God,  joint  heirs  with 
Christ. 

Heirs  of  God:  but  what  is  our  inheritance]  The 
same  as  Christ's. 

And  what  is  Christ's  inheritance  1  What  but  God 
himself? — The  knowledge  of  our  Father  in  heaven,  of 
his  love  to  us,  and  of  his  eternal  beauty  and  glory,  which 
fills  all  heavens  and  all  worlds  with  light  and  life. 


SERMON  VIII. 


'DE  PROFUNDIS.' 


Psalm  cxxx. 


Out  of  the  deep  have  I  cried  unto  thee,  O  Lord.    Lord,  hear 


HAT  is  this  deep  of  which  David  speaks  so  often  1 


He  knew  it  well,  for  he  had  been  in  it  often  and 
long.  He  was  just  the  sort  of  man  to  be  in  it  often. 
A  man  with  great  good  in  him,  and  great  evil ;  with  very- 
strong  passions  and  feelings,  dragging  him  down  into  the 
deep,  and  great  light  and  understanding  to  show  him  the 
dark  secrets  of  that  horrible  pit  when  he  was  in  it ;  and 
with  great  love  of  God  too,  and  of  order,  and  justice, 
and  of  all  good  and  beautiful  things,  to  make  him  feel 
the  horribleness  of  that  pit  where  he  ought  not  to  be,  all 
the  more  from  its  difference,  its  contrast,  with  the 
beautiful  world  of  light,  and  order,  and  righteousness 
where  he  ought  to  be.  Therefore  he  knew  that  deep 
well,  and  abhorred  it,  and  he  heaps  together  every  ugly 
name,  to  try  and  express  what  no  man  can  express,  the 
horror  of  that  place.  It  is  a  horrible  pit,  mire  and  clay, 
where  he  can  find  no  footing,  but  sinks  all  the  deeper 
for  his  struggling.  It  is  a  place  of  darkness  and  of 
storms,  a  shoreless  and  bottomless  sea,  where  he  is 


my  voice. 


58  '£>£  PROFUNDIS:  [sERM. 


drowning,  and  drowning,  while  all  God's  waves  and 
billows  go  over  him.  It  is  a  place  of  utter  loneliness, 
where  he  sits  like  a  sparrow  on  the  housetop,  or  a 
doleful  bird  in  the  desert,  while  God  has  put  his  lovers 
and  friends  away  from  him,  and  hid  his  acquaintance 
out  of  his  sight,  and  no  man  cares  for  his  soul,  and 
all  men  seem  to  him  liars,  and  God  himself  seems  to 
have  forgotten  him  and  forgotten  all  the  world.  It 
is  a  dreadful  net  which  has  entangled  his  feet,  a  dark 
prison  in  which  he  is  set  so  fast  that  he  cannot  get  forth. 
It  is  a  torturing  disgusting  disease,  which  gives  his  flesh 
no  health,  and  his  bones  no  rest,  and  his  wounds  are 
putrid  and  corrupt.  It  is  a  battle-field  after  the  fight, 
where  he  seems  to  lie  stript  among  the  dead,  like  those 
who  are  wounded  and  cut  away  from  God's  hand,  and 
lies  groaning  in  the  dust  of  death,  seeing  nothing  round 
him  but  doleful  shapes  of  destruction  and  misery,  alone 
in  the  outer  darkness,  while  a  horrible  dread  overwhelms 
him.  Yea,  it  is  hell  itself,  the  pit  of  hell,  the  nethermost 
hell,  he  says,  where  God's  wrath  burns  like  fire,  till  his 
tongue  cleaves  to  his  gums,  and  his  bones  are  burnt  up 
like  a  firebrand,  till  he  is  weary  of  crying ;  his  throat  is 
dry,  his  heart  fails  him  for  waiting  so  long  upon  his  God. 

Yes.  A  dark  and  strange  place  is  that  same  deep  pit 
of  God— if,  indeed,  it  be  God's  and  God  made  it. 
Perhaps  God  did  not  make  it.  For  God  saw  everything 
that  he  had  made,  and  behold  it  was  very  good :  and 
that  pit  cannot  be  very  good;  for  all  good  things  are 
orderly,  and  in  shape;  and  in  that  pit  is  no  shape, 
no   order,  nothing  but  contradiction  and  confusion. 


VIII.] 


'DE  PRO  FUND  IS: 


59 


When  a  man  is  in  that  pit,  it  will  seem  to  him  as  if 
he  were  alone  in  the  world,  and  longing  above  all  things 
for  company;  and  yet  he  will  hate  to  have  any  one 
to  speak  to  him,  and  wrap  himself  up  in  himself  to  brood 
over  his  own  misery.  When  he  is  in  that  pit  he  shall  be 
so  blind  that  he  can  see  nothing,  though  his  eyes  be 
open  in  broad  noon-day.  When  he  is  in  that  pit  he 
will  hate  the  thing  which  he  loves  most,  and  love  the 
thing  which  he  hates  most.  When  he  is  in  that  pit 
he  will  long  to  die,  and  yet  cling  to  life  desperately, 
and  be  horribly  afraid  of  dying.  When  he  is  in  that 
pit  it  will  seem  to  him  that  God  is  awfully,  horribly  near 
him,  and  he  will  try  to  hide  from  God,  try  to  escape 
from  under  God's  hand :  and  yet  all  the  while  that  God 
seems  so  dreadfully  near  him,  God  will  seem  further 
off  from  him  than  ever,  millions  and  millions  of  miles 
away,  parted  from  him  by  walls  of  iron,  and  a  great  gulf 
which  he  can  never  pass.  There  is  nothing  but  contra- 
diction in  that  pit :  the  man  who  is  in  it  is  of  two  minds 
about  himself,  and  his  kin  and  neighbours,  and  all 
heaven  and  earth ;  and  knows  not  where  to  turn,  or 
what  to  think,  or  even  where  he  is  at  all. 

For  the  food  which  he  gets  in  that  deep  pit  is  very 
hunger  of  soul,  and  rage,  and  vain  desires.  And  the 
ground  which  he  stands  on  in  that  deep  is  a  bottomless 
quagmire,  and  doubt,  and  change,  and  shapeless  dread. 
And  the  air  which  he  breathes  in  that  deep  is  the  very 
fire  of  God,  which  burns  up  everlastingly  all  the  chalk 
and  dross  of  the  world. 

I  said  that  that  deep  was  not  merely  the  deep  of 


6o  <DE  PROFUNDIS:  [SERM. 


affliction.  No  :  for  you  may  see  men  with  every  comfort 
which  wealth  and  home  can  give,  who  are  tormented 
day  and  night  in  that  deep  pit  in  the  midst  of  all  their 
prosperity,  calling  for  a  drop  of  water  to  cool  their 
tongue,  and  finding  none.  And  you  may  see  poor 
creatures  dying  in  agony  on  lonely  sick  beds,  who  are 
not  in  that  pit  at  all,  but  in  that  better  place  whereof  it 
is  written,  '  Blessed  are  they  who,  going  through  the  vale 
of  misery,  use  it  for  a  well,  and  the  pools  are  filled  with 
water ;'  and  again,  '  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  to 
me,  and  drink  f  and  '  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him 
shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water,  springing  up  to  ever- 
lasting life.' 

No — that  deep  pit  is  a  far  worse  place ;  an  utterly 
bad  place ;  and  yet  it  may  be  good  for  a  man  to  have 
fallen  into  it ;  and,  strangely  enough,  if  he  do  fall  in,  the 
lower  he  sinks  in  it,  the  better  for  him  at  last.  That  is 
another  strange  contradiction  in  that  pit,  which  David 
found,  that  though  it  was  a  bottomless  pit,  the  deeper  he 
sank  in  it,  the  more  likely  he  was  to  find  his  feet  set  on 
a  rock  ;  the  further  down  in  the  nethermost  hell  he  was, 
the  nearer  he  was  to  being  delivered  from  the  nethermost 
hell. 

Of  course,  if  he  had  staid  in  that  pit,  he  must  have 
died,  body  and  soul.  No  mortal  man,  or  immortal  soul 
could  endure  it  long.  No  immortal  soul  could ;  for  he 
would  lose  all  hope,  all  faith  in  God,  all  feeling  of  there 
being  anything  like  justice  and  order  in  the  world,  all 
hope  for  himself,  or  for  mankind,  lying  so  in  that  living 
grave  where  no  man  can  see  God's  righteousness,  or  his 
faithfulness  in  that  land  where  all  things  are  forgotten. 


VIII.] 


DE  rROFUNDIS: 


61 


And  his  mere  mortal  body  could  not  stand  it.  The 
misery  and  terror  and  confusion  of  his  soul  would  soon 
wear  out  his  body,  and  he  would  die,  as  I  have  seen 
men  actually  die,  when  their  souls  have  been  left  in  that 
deep  somewhat  too  long ;  shrink  together  into  dark 
melancholy,  and  pine  away,  and  die.  And  I  have  seen 
sweet  young  creatures  too,  whom  God  for  some  purpose 
of  his  own  (which  must  be  good  and  loving,  for  He  did 
it)  has  let  fall  awhile  into  that  deep  of  darkness ;  and 
then  in  compassion  to  their  youth,  and  tenderness,  and 
innocence,  has  lifted  them  gently  out  again,  and  set  their 
weary  feet  upon  the  everlasting  Rock,  which  is  Christ ; 
and  has  filled  them  with  the  light  of  his  countenance, 
and  joy  and  peace  in  believing ;  and  has  led  them  by 
green  pastures  and  made  them  rest  by  the  waters  of 
comfort ;  and  yet,  though  their  souls  were  healed,  their 
bodies  were  not.  That  fearful  struggle  has  been  too 
much  for  frail  humanity,  and  they  have  drooped,  and  faded, 
and  gone  peacefully  after  a  while  home  to  their  God,  as 
a  fair  flower  withers  if  the  fire  has  but  once  past  over  it. 

But  some  I  have  seen,  men  and  women,  who  have 
arisen,  like  David,  out  of  that  strange  deep,  all  the 
stronger  for  their  fall ;  and  have  found  out  another 
strange  contradiction  about  that  deep,  and  the  fire  of 
God  which  burns  below  in  it.  For  that  fire  hardens  a 
man  and  softens  him  at  the  same  time;  and  he  comes 
out  of  it  hardened  to  that  hardness  of  which  it  is  written, 
1  Do  thou  endure  hardness  like  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ  /  and  again,  'I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have 
kept  the  faith,  I  have  finished  my  course :'  yet  softened 


62  'DE  PROFUNDIS:  [SERM. 


to  that  softness  of  which  it  is  written,  'Be  ye  tender- 
hearted, compassionate,  forgiving  one  another,  even  as 
God  for  Christ's  sake  has  forgiven  you  f — and  again, 
'We  have  a  High  Priest  who  can  be  touched  with  the 
feeling  of  our  infirmities,  seeing  that  he  has  been  tempted 
in  all  things  like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin.' 

Happy,  thrice  happy  are  they  who  have  thus  walked 
through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  and  found  it 
the  path  which  leads  to  everlasting  life.  Happy  are  they 
who  have  thus  writhed  awhile  in  the  fierce  fire  of  God, 
and  have  had  burnt  out  of  them  the  chaff  and  dross,  and 
all  which  offends,  and  makes  them  vain,  light,  and  yet 
makes  them  dull,  drags  them  down  at  the  same  time; 
till  only  the  pure  gold  of  God's  righteousness  is  left, 
seven  times  tried  in  the  fire,  incorruptible,  and  precious 
in  the  sight  of  God  and  man.  Such  people  need  not 
regret — they  will  not  regret — all  that  they  have  gone 
through.  It  has  made  them  brave,  made  them  sober, 
made  them  patient.    It  has  given  them 

The  reason  firm,  the  temperate  will, 
Endurance,  foresight,  strength  and  skill  ; 

and  so  has  shaped  them  into  the  likeness  of  Christ,  who 
was  made  perfect  by  suffering ;  and  though  he  were  a 
Son,  yet  in  the  days  of  his  flesh,  made  strong  supplication 
and  crying  with  tears  to  his  Father,  and  was  heard  in 
that  he  feared ;  and  so,  though  he  died  on  the  cross  and 
descended  into  hell,  yet  triumphed  over  death  and  hell, 
by  dying  and  by  descending;  and  conquered  them  by 
submitting  to  them.  And  yet  they  have  been  softened 
in  that  fierce  furnace  of  God's  wrath,  into  another  like- 


DE  PRO  FUND  IS: 


63 


ness  of  Christ — which  after  all  is  still  the  same ;  the 
character  which  he  showed  when  he  wept  by  the  grave 
of  Lazarus,  and  over  the  sinful  city  of  Jerusalem ;  which 
he  showed  when  his  heart  yearned  over  the  perishing 
multitude,  and  over  the  leper,  and  the  palsied  man,  and 
the  maniac  possessed  with  devils ;  the  character  which 
he  showed  when  he  said  to  the  woman  taken  in  adultery, 
•  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee ;  go  and  sin  no  more ;' 
which  he  showed  when  he  said  to  the  sinful  Magdalene, 
who  washed  his  feet  with  tears,  and  wiped  them  with  her 
hair,  '  her  sins,  which  are  many,  are  forgiven ;  for  she 
loved  much ;'  the  likeness  which  he  showed  in  his  very 
death  agony  upon  the  torturing  cross,  when  he  prayed 
for  his  murderers,  4  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know 
not  what  they  do.'  This  is  the  character  which  man 
may  get  in  that  dark  deep. — To  feel  for  all,  and  feel 
with  all ;  to  rejoice  with  those  who  rejoice,  and  weep 
with  those  who  weep ;  to  understand  people's  trials,  and 
make  allowances  for  their  temptations ;  to  put  oneself  in 
their  place,  till  we  see  with  their  eyes,  and  feel  with  their 
hearts,  till  we  judge  no  man,  and  have  hope  for  all ;  to 
be  fair,  and  patient,  and  tender  with  every  one  we  meet ; 
to  despise  no  one,  despair  of  no  one,  because  Christ 
despises  none,  and  despairs  of  none  ;  to  look  upon  every 
one  we  meet  with  love,  almost  with  pity,  as  people  who 
either  have  been  down  into  the  deep  of  horror,  or  may 
go  down  into  it  any  day;  to  see  our  own  sins  in  other 
people's  sins,  and  know  that  we  might  do  what  they  do, 
and  feel  as  they  feel,  any  moment,  did  God  desert  us ;  to 
give  and  forgive,  to  live  and  let  live,  even  as  Christ  gives 


64 


'£>£  PROFUNDIS: 


[SERM. 


to  us,  and  forgives  us,  and  lives  for  us,  and  lets  us  live, 
in  spite  of  all  our  sins. 

And  how  shall  we  learn  this  ?  How  shall  the  bottom- 
less pit,  if  we  fall  into  it,  be  but  a  pathway  to  the  ever- 
lasting rock  ? 

David  tells  us : 

'  Out  of  the  deep  have  I  cried  unto  thee,  0  Lord.' 
He  cried  to  God. 

Not  to  himself,  his  own  learning,  talents,  wealth, 
prudence,  to  pull  him  out  of  that  pit.  Not  to  princes, 
nobles,  and  great  men.  Not  to  doctrines,  books,  church- 
goings.  Not  to  the  dearest  friend  he  had  on  earth ;  for 
they  had  forsaken  him,  could  not  understand  him,  thought 
him  perhaps  beside  himself.  Not  to  his  own  good  works, 
almsgivings,  church-goings,  church-buildings.  Not  to  his 
own  experiences,  faith's  assurances,  frames  or  feelings. 
The  matter  was  too  terrible  to  be  plastered  over  in  that 
way,  or  in  any  way.  He  was  face  to  face  with  God 
alone,  in  utter  weakness,  in  utter  nakedness  of  soul,  He 
cried  to  God  himself.    There  was  the  lesson. 

God  took  away  from  him  all  things,  that  he  might 
have  no  one  to  cry  to  but  God. 

God  took  him  up,  and  cast  him  down :  and  there  he 
sat  all  alone,  astonished  and  confounded,  like  Rizpah, 
the  daughter  of  Aiah,  when  she  sat  alone  upon  the  parch- 
ing rock.  Like  Rizpah,  he  watched  the  dead  corpses  of 
all  his  hopes  and  plans,  all  for  which  he  had  lived,  and 
which  made  life  worth  having,  withering  away  there  by 
his  side.  But  it  was  told  David  what  Rizpah,  the 
daughter  of  Aiah,  had  done.    And  it  is  told  to  one 


VIII.] 


lDE  PR  OFUNDIS. ' 


65 


greater  than  David,  even  to  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of 
David,  what  the  poor  soul  does  when  it  sits  alone  in  its 
despair.  Or  rather  it  need  not  be  told  him ;  for  he  sees 
all,  weeps  over  all,  will  comfort  all :  and  it  shall  be  to 
that  poor  soul  as  it  was  to  poor  deserted  Hagar  in  the 
sandy  desert,  when  the  water  was  spent  in  the  bottle, 
and  she  cast  her  child — the  only  thing  she  had  left — 
under  one  of  the  shrubs  and  hurried  away ;  for  she  said, 
'Let  me  not  see  the  child  die.'  And  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  called  to  her  out  of  heaven,  saying,  'The  Lord 
hath  heard  the  voice  of  the  lad  where  he  is and  God 
opened  her  eyes,  and  she  saw  a  well  of  water. 

It  shall  be  with  that  poor  soul  as  it  was  with  Moses, 
when  he  went  up  alone  into  the  mount  of  God,  and 
fasted  forty  days  and  forty  nights  amid  the  earthquake 
and  the  thunderstorm,  and  the  rocks  which  melted  before 
the  Lord.  And  behold,  when  it  was  past,  he  talked 
face  to  face  with  God,  as  a  man  talketh  with  his  friend, 
and  his  countenance  shone  with  heavenly  light,  when  he 
came  down  triumphant  out  of  the  mount  of  God. 

So  shall  it  be  with  every  soul  of  man  who,  being  in 
the  deep,  cries  out  of  that  deep  to  God,  whether  in 
bloody  India  or  in  peaceful  England.  For  He  with 
whom  we  have  to  do  is  not  a  tyrant,  but  a  Father ;  not 
a  taskmaster,  but  a  Giver  and  a  Redeemer.  We  may 
ask  him  freely,  as  David  does,  to  consider  our  complaint, 
because  he  will  consider  it  well,  and  understand  it,  and 
do  it  justice.  He  is  not  extreme  to  mark  what  is  done 
amiss,  and  therefore  we  can  abide  his  judgments.  There 
is  mercy  with  him,  and  therefore  it  is  worth  while  to  fear 
him.    He  waits  for  us  year  after  year,  with  patience 

F 


66 


'DE  PRO  FUND  IS: 


which  cannot  tire  ;  therefore  it  is  but  fair  that  we  should 
wait  a  while  for  him.  With  him  is  plenteous  redemption, 
and  therefore  redemption  enough  for  us,  and  for  those 
likewise  whom  we  love.  He  will  redeem  us  from  all  our 
sins :  and  what  do  we  need  more  ?  He  will  make  us 
perfect,  even  as  our  Father  in  heaven  is  perfect.  Let 
him  then,  if  he  must,  make  us  perfect  by  sufferings.  By 
sufferings  Christ  was  made  perfect;  and  what  was  the 
best  path  for  Jesus  Christ  is  surely  good  enough  for  us, 
even  though  it  be  a  rough  and  a  thorny  one.  Let  us  lie 
still  beneath  God's  hand ;  for  though  his  hand  be  heavy 
upon  us,  it  is  strong  and  safe  beneath  us  too ;  and  none 
can  pluck  us  out  of  his  hand,  for  in  him  we  live  and 
move  and  have  our  being ;  and  though  we  go  down  into 
hell  with  David,  with  David  we  shall  find  God  there,  and 
find,  with  David,  that  he  will  not  leave  our  souls  in  hell, 
or  suffer  his  holy  ones  to  see  corruption.  Yes;  have 
faith  in  God.  Nothing  in  thee  which  he  has  made  shall 
see  corruption;  for  it  is  a  thought  of  God's,  and  no 
thought  of  his  can  perish.  Nothing  shall  be  purged  out 
of  thee  but  thy  disease ;  nothing  shall  be  burnt  out  of 
thee  but  thy  dross ;  and  that  in  thee  shall  be  saved,  and 
live  to  all  eternity,  of  which  God  said  at  the  beginning, 
Let  us  make  man  in  our  own  image.  Yes.  Have  faith 
in  God ;  and  say  to  him  once  for  all,  '  Though  thou  slay 
me,  yet  will  I  love  thee ;  for  thou  lovedst  me  in  Jesus 
Christ  before  the  foundation  of  the  world.' 


SERMON  IX. 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  ITS  OWN  REWARD. 

Deut.  xxx.  19,  20. 

I  call  heaven  and  earth  to  record  this  day  against  you,  that  I  have 
set  before  you  life  and  death,  blessing  and  cursing ;  therefore 
choose  life  that  both  thou  and  thy  seed  may  live  ;  that  thou 
mayest  love  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  that  thou  mayest  cleave  unto 
him,  for  he  is  thy  life  and  the  length  of  thy  days,  that  thou  mayest 
dwell  in  the  land  which  the  Lord  God  sware  unto  thy  fathers 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  to  give  them. 

T  SPOKE  to  you  last  Sunday  on  this  text.  But  there 
is  something  more  in  it,  which  I  had  not  time  to 
speak  of  then. 

Moses  here  tells  the  Israelites  what  will  happen  to 
them  if  they  keep  God's  law. 

They  will  love  God.  That  was  to  be  their  reward. 
They  were  to  have  other  rewards  beside.  Beside  loving 
God,  it  would  be  well  with  them  and  their  children,  and 
they  would  live  long  in  the  land  which  God  had  given 
them.  But  their  first  reward,  their  great  reward,  would 
be  that  they  would  love  God. 

If  they  obeyed  God,  they  would  have  reason  to  love 
him. 

Now  we  commonly  put  this  differently: 
We  say,  If  you  love  God,  you  will  obey  him ;  which 
is  quite  true.    But  what  Moses  says  is  truer  still,  and 


68     THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  ITS  OWN  REWARD.  [SERM. 


deeper  still.  Moses  says,  If  you  obey  God,  you  will 
love  him. 

Again  we  say,  If  you  love  God,  God  will  reward  you ; 
which  is  true ;  though  not  always  true  in  this  life.  But 
Moses  says  a  truer  and  deeper  thing.  Moses  says  that 
loving  God  is  our  reward;  that  the  greatest  reward,  the 
greatest  blessing  which  a  man  can  have,  is  this — that  the 
man  should  love  God.  Now  does  this  seem  strange? 
It  is  not  strange,  nevertheless. 

For  there  are  two  sorts  of  faith ;  and  one  must  always, 
I  sometimes  think,  come  before  the  other. 

The  first  is  implicit  faith — blind  faith — the  sort  of 
faith  a  child  has  in  what  its  parents  tell  it.  A  child,  we 
know,  believes  its  parents  blindly,  even  though  it  does 
not  understand  what  they  tell  it.  It  takes  for  granted 
that  they  are  right. 

The  second  is  experimental  faith — the  faith  which 
comes  from  experience  and  reason,  when  a  man  looks 
back  upon  his  life,  and  on  God's  dealings  with  him ;  and 
then  sees  from  experience  what  reason  he  has  for  trusting 
and  loving  God,  who  has  helped  him  onward  through  so 
many  chances  and  changes  for  so  many. years. 

Now  some  people  cry  out  against  blind  implicit  faith, 
as  if  it  was  childish  and  unreasonable.  But  I  cannot. 
I  think  every  one  learns  to  love  his  neighbour,  very  much 
as  Moses  told  the  Jews  they  would  learn  to  love  God ; 
namely,  by  trusting  them  somewhat  blindly  at  first. 

Is  it  not  so  ?  Is  it  not  so  always  with  young  people, 
when  they  begin  to  be  fond  of  each  other?  They  trust 
each  other,  they  do  not  know  why,  or  how.    Before  they 


IX.]      THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  ITS  OWN  REWARD.  69 


are  married,  they  have  little  or  no  experience  of  each 
other ;  of  each  other's  tempers  and  characters :  and  yet 
they  trust  each  other,  and  say  in  their  hearts,  '  He  can 
never  be  false  to  me ;'  and  are  ready  to  put  their  honour 
and  fortunes  into  each  other's  hands,  to  live  together  for 
better  for  worse,  till  death  them  part.  It  is  a  blind  faith 
in  each  other,  that,  and  those  who  will  may  laugh  at  it, 
and  call  it  the  folly  and  rashness  of  youth.  I  do  not 
believe  that  God  laughs  at  it :  that  God  calls  it  folly  and 
rashness.    It  surely  comes  from  God. 

For  there  is  something  in  each  of  them  worth  trusting, 
worth  loving.  True,  they  may  be  disappointed  in  each 
other ;  but  they  need  not  be.  If  they  are  true  to  them- 
selves ;  if  they  will  listen  to  the  better  voice  within,  and 
be  true  to  their  own  better  feelings,  all  will  be  well,  and 
they  will  find  after  marriage  that  they  did  not  do  a  rash 
and  a  foolish  thing,  when  they  gave  up  themselves  to  each 
other,  and  cast  in  their  lot  together  blindly  to  live  and  die. 

And  then,  after  that  first  blind  faith  and  love  in  each 
other  which  they  had  before  marriage,  will  come,  as  the 
years  roll  by,  a  deeper,  sounder  faith  and  love  from  ex- 
perience.— An  experience  of  which  I  shall  not  talk  here; 
for  those  who  have  not  felt  it  for  themselves  would  not 
know  what  I  mean ;  and  those  who  have  felt  it  need  no 
clumsy  words  of  mine  to  describe  it  to  them. 

Now,  my  dear  friends,  this  is  one  of  the  things  by 
which  marriage  is  consecrated  to  an  excellent  mystery, 
as  the  Prayer-book  says.  This  is  one  of  the  things  in 
which  marriage  is  a  pattern  and  picture  of  the  spiritual 
union  which  is  between  Christ  and  his  Church. 


70     THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  ITS  OWN  REWARD.  [SERM. 


First,  as  I  said,  comes  blind  faith.  A  young  person, 
setting  out  in  life,  has  little  experience  of  God's  love ;  he 
has  little  to  make  him  sure  that  the  way  of  life,  and 
honour,  and  peace,  is  to  obey  God's  laws.  But  he  is 
told  so.  His  Bible  tells  him  so.  Wiser  and  older  people 
than  he  tell  him  so,  and  God  himself  tells  him  so.  God 
himself  makes  up  in  the  young  person's  heart  a  desire 
after  goodness. 

Then  he  takes  it  for  granted  blindly.  He  says  to 
himself,  I  can  but  try.  They  tell  me  to  taste  and  see 
whether  the  Lord  is  gracious.  I  will  taste.  They  tell 
me  that  the  way  of  his  commandments  is  the  way  to 
make  life  worth  loving,  and  to  see  good  days.  I  will 
try.  And  so  the  years  go  by.  The  young  person  has 
grown  middle-aged,  old.  He  or  she  has  been  through 
many  trials,  many  disappointments;  perhaps  more  than 
one  bitter  loss.  But  if  they  have  held  fast  by  God ;  if 
they  have  tried,  however  clumsily,  to  keep  God's  law, 
and  walk  in  God's  way,  then  there  will  have  grown  up  in 
them  a  trust  in  God,  and  a  love  for  God,  deeper  and 
broader  far  than  any  which  they  had  in  youth ;  a  love 
grounded  on  experience.  They  can  point  back  to  so 
many  blessings  which  the  Lord  gave  them  unexpectedly ; 
to  so  many  sorrows  which  the  Lord  gave  them  strength 
to  bear,  though  they  seemed  at  first  sight  past  bearing; 
to  so  many  disappointments  which  seemed  ill  luck  at  the 
time,  and  yet  which  turned  out  good  for  them  in  the  end. 
And  so  comes  a  deep,  reasonable  love  to  their  Heavenly 
Father.  Now  they  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious. 
Now  they  can  say,  with  the  Samaritans,  '  Now  we  believe, 


IX.]       THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  ITS  OWN  REWARD.  71 


not  because  of  thy  saying,  but  because  we  have  heard 
him  ourselves,  and  know  that  this  is  indeed  the  Christ, 
the  Saviour  of  the  world.'  And  when  sadness  and  afflic- 
tion come  on  them,  as  it  must  come,  they  can  look  back, 
and  so  get  strength  to  look  forward.  They  can  say  with 
David,  '  I  will  go  on  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  God.  I 
will  make  mention  only  of  his  righteousness.  Oh  my 
God,  thou  hast  taught  me  from  my  youth  up  until  now ; 
hitherto  have  I  declared  thy  wondrous  works.  Now 
also,  when  I  am  old  and  grey-headed,  oh  Lord,  forsake 
me  not,  till  I  have  showed  thy  strength  unto  this  genera- 
tion, and  thy  power  to  those  whom  I  leave  behind  me.' 

And  so,  by  remembering  what  God  has  been  to  them, 
they  can  face  what  is  coming.  'They  will  not  be  afraid 
of  evil  tidings,'  as  David  says ;  '  for  their  heart  is  fixed, 
trusting  in  the  Lord.' 

And  when  old  age  comes,  and  brings  weakness  and 
sickness,  and  low  spirits,  still  they  have  comfort.  They 
can  say  with  David  again,  '  I  have  been  young,  and  now 
am  old,  but  never  saw  I  the  righteous  forsaken,  nor  his 
seed  begging  their  bread.' 

Oh  my  dear  friends,  young  people  especially — there 
are  many  things  which  you  may  long  for  which  you  can- 
not have  :  much  happiness  which  is  not  within  your  reach. 
But  this  you  can  have,  if  you  will  but  long  for  it :  this 
happiness  is  within  your  reach,  if  you  will  but  put  out 
your  hand  and  take  it. — The  everlasting  unfailing  comfort 
of  loving  God,  and  of  knowing  that  God  loves  you.  Oh 
choose  that  now  at  once.  Choose  God's  ways  which  are 
pleasantness,  and  God's  paths  which  are  peace;  and 


72        THE  LOVE  OF  GOD  ITS  OWN  REWARD. 


then  in  your  old  age,  whether  you  become  rich  or  poor, 
whether  you  are  left  alone,  or  go  down  to  your  grave  in 
peace  with  children  and  grandchildren  to  close  your  eyes, 
you  will  still  have  the  one  great  reward,  the  true  reward, 
the  everlasting  reward  which  Moses  promised  the  old 
Israelites.  You  will  have  reason  to  love  God,  who  has 
carried  you  safe  through  life,  and  will  carry  you  safe 
through  death,  and  to  say  with  all  his  saints  and  martyrs, 
'  Many  things  I  know  not ;  and  many  things  I  have  lost : 
but  this  I  know. — I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed  ;  and 
this  I  cannot  lose ;  even  God  himself,  whose  name  is 
faithful  and  true.' 


SERMON  X. 


THE  RACE  OF  LIFE. 
John  i.  26. 

There  standeth  one  among  you  whom  ye  know  not. 
'HIS  is  a  solemn  text.    It  warns  us,  and  yet  it  com- 


forts  us.  It  tells  us  that  there  is  a  person  standing 
among  us  so  great,  that  John  the  Baptist,  the  greatest  of 
the  prophets,  was  not  worthy  to  unloose  his  shoes' 
latchet. 

Some  of  you  know  who  he  is.  Some  of  you,  perhaps, 
do  not.  If  you  know  him,  you  will  be  glad  to  be 
reminded  of  him  to-day.  If  you  do  not  know  him,  I 
will  tell  you  who  he  is. 

Only  bear  this  in  mind,  that  whether  you  know  him 
or  not,  he  is  standing  among  us.  We  have  not  driven 
him  away,  and  cannot  drive  him  away.  Our  not  seeing 
him  will  not  prevent  his  seeing  us.  He  is  always  near 
us;  ready,  if  we  ask  him,  as  the  Collect  bids  us,  to 
*  come  among  us,  and  with  great  might  succour  us.' 

For,  my  friends,  this  is  the  meaning  of  the  text,  as 
far  as  it  has  to  do  with  us.  The  noble  Collect  for 
to-day  tells  this,  and  explains  to  us  what  we  are  to  think 
of  the  Epistle  and  the  Gospel. 

The  Epistle  tells  us  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  at 


74 


THE  RACE  OF  LIFE. 


[SERM. 


hand,  and  that  therefore  we  are  to  fret  about  nothing,  but 
make  our  requests  known  to  him.  The  Gospel  tells  us 
that  he  stands  among  us.  The  Collect  tells  us  what  we 
are  to  do,  because  he  is  at  hand,  because  he  stands 
among  us. 

And  what  are  we  to  do  1 

Recollect  my  friends,  what  John  the  Baptist  said, 
according  to  St.  Matthew,  after  the  words  in  the  text — 
'  He  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  with 
fire.' 

The  Collect  asks  him  to  do  that— the  first  half  of  it 
at  least.  To  baptize  us  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  lest  he 
should  need  to  baptize  us  with  fire. 

For  the  Collect  says,  we  have  all  a  race  to  run.  We 
have  all  a  journey  to  make  through  life.  We  have  all 
so  to  get  through  this  world,  that  we  shall  inherit  the 
world  to  come ;  so  to  pass  through  the  things  of  time 
(as  one  of  the  Collects  says)  that  we  finally  lose  not  the 
things  eternal.  God  has  given  each  of  us  our  powers 
and  character,  marked  out  for  each  of  us  our  path  in 
life,  set  each  of  us  our  duty  to  do. 

But  how  shall  we  make  the  proper  use  of  our  powers  1 

How  shall  we  keep  to  our  path  in  life  ? 

How  shall  we  do  our  duty  faithfully  ? 

In  short,  so  as  St.  Paul  puts  it — How  shall  we  run  our 
race,  so  as  not  to  lose,  but  to  win  it  1 

For  the  Collect  says — and  we  ought  to  have  found  it 
out  for  ourselves  before  now — Our  sins  and  wickedness 
hinder  us  sorely  in  running  the  race  which  is  set  before 
us. 


X.] 


THE  RACE  OF  LIFE. 


75 


Our  sins  and  wickedness.  The  Collect  speaks  of 
these  as  two  different  things;  and  I  believe  rightly,  for 
the  New  Testament  speaks  of  them  as  two  different 
things.  Sin,  in  the  New  Testament,  means  strictly  what 
we  call  "  failings,"  "  defects"  a  missing  the  mark,  a  falling 
short ;  as  it  is  written — All  have  sinned,  and  come  short 
of  the  glory  of  God,  that  is,  of  the  likeness  of  a  perfect 
man.* 

Thus,  stupidity,  laziness,  cowardice,  bad  temper, 
greediness  after  pleasure — these  are  strictly  speaking 
what  the  New  Testament  calls  sins.  Wickedness — 
iniquity — seem  to  be  harder  words,  and  to  mean  worse 
offences.  They  mean  the  evil  things  which  a  man  does, 
not  out  of  the  weakness  of  his  mortal  nature,  but  out  of 
his  own  wicked  will,  and  what  the  Bible  calls  the 
naughtiness  of  his  heart.  So  wickedness  means,  not 
merely  open  crimes  which  are  punishable  by  the  law, 
but  all  which  comes  out  of  a  man's  own  wilfulness  and 
perverseness — injustice  (which  is  the  first  meaning  of 
iniquity),  cunning,  falsehood,  covetousness,  pride,  self- 
conceit,  tyranny,  cruelty — these  seem  to  be  what  the 
Scripture  calls  wickedness.  Of  course  one  cannot  draw 
the  line  exactly,  in  any  matters  so  puzzling  as  questions 
about  our  own  souls  must  always  be  :  but  on  the  whole. 
I  think  you  will  find  this  rule  not  far  wrong — 

That  all  which  comes  from  the  weakness  of  a  man's 

*  Compare  Rom.  iii.  23  with  I  Cor.  xi.  7.  Let  me  entreat  all 
young  students  to  consider  carefully  and  honestly  the  radical  mean- 
ing of  the  words  afxapria  and  aixapTavtiv.  It  will  explain  to  them 
many  seemingly  dark  passages  of  St.  Paul,  and  perhaps  deliver  them 
from  more  than  one  really  dark  superstition. 


THE  RACE  OF  LIFE. 


[SERM. 


soul,  is  sin  :  all  which  comes  from  abusing  its  strength, 
is  wickedness.  All  which  drags  a  man  down,  and  makes 
him  more  like  a  brute  animal,  is  sin :  all  which  puffs  him 
up,  and  makes  him  more  like  a  devil,  is  wickedness. 
It  is  as  well  to  bear  this  in  mind,  because  a  man  may 
have  a  great  horror  of  sin,  and  be  hard  enough,  and  too 
hard  upon  poor  sinners ;  and  yet  all  the  time  he  may  be 
thoroughly,  and  to  his  heart's  core,  a  wicked  man.  The 
Pharisees  of  old  were  so.  So  they  are  now.  Take  you 
care  that  you  be  not  like  to  them.  Keep  clear  of  sin : 
but  keep  clear  of  wickedness  likewise. 

For,  says  the  Collect,  both  will  hinder  you  in  your 
race :  perhaps  cause  you  to  break  down  in  it,  and  never 
reach  the  goal  at  all. 

Sin  will  hinder  you,  by  dragging  you  back. 

Wickedness  will  hinder  you,  by  putting  you  altogether 
out  of  the  right  road. 

If  a  man  be  laden  with  sins ;  stupid,  lazy,  careless, 
over  fond  of  pleasure ; — much  more,  if  he  be  given  up 
to  enjoying  himself  in  bad  ways,  about  which  we  all 
know  too  well — then  he  is  like  a  man  who  starts  in 
a  race,  weak,  crippled,  over-weighted,  or  not  caring 
whether  he  wins  or  loses ;  and  who  therefore  lags  behind, 
or  grows  tired,  or  looks  round,  and  wants  to  stop  and 
amuse  himself,  instead  of  pushing  on  stoutly  and  bravely. 
And  therefore  St.  Paul  bids  us  lay  aside  every  weight  (that 
is  every  bad  habit  which  makes  us  lazy  and  careless), 
and  the  sin  which  does  so  easily  beset  us,  and  run  with 
patience  our  appointed  race,  looking  to  Jesus,  the  author 
of  our  faith — who  stands  by  to  give  us  faith,  confidence, 


X.] 


THE  RACE  OF  LIFE. 


11 


courage  to  go  on — Jesus,  who  has  compassion  on  those 
who  are  ignorant,  and  out  of  the  way  by  no  wilfulness  of 
their  own ;  who  can  be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our 
infirmities;  who  can  help  us,  can  deliver  us,  and  who 
will  do  what  he  can,  and  do  all  he  can. 

He  can  and  will  strengthen  us,  freshen  us,  encourage 
us,  inspirit  us,  by  giving  us  his  Holy  Spirit,  that  we  may 
have  spirit  and  power  to  run  our  race,  day  by  day,  and 
tide  by  tide.  And  so,  if  he  sees  us  weak  and  fainting 
over  our  work,  he  will  baptize  us  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 

And  yet  there  are  times  when  he  will  baptize  a  sinner 
not  only  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  with  fire — I  am  still 
speaking,  mind,  of  a  sinner,  not  of  a  wicked  man. 

And  when  ?  When  he  sees  the  man  sitting  down  by 
the  roadside  to  play,  with  no  intention  of  moving  on. 
I  do  not  say — if  he  sees  the  man  sitting  down  to  play  at 
all.  God  forbid !  How  can  a  man  run  his  life-long 
race — how  can  he  even  keep  up  for  a  week,  a  day,  at 
doing  his  best  at  the  full  stretch  of  his  power,  without 
stopping  to  take  breath?  I  cannot,  God  knows.  If 
any  man  can — be  it  so.  Some  are  stronger  than  others  : 
but  be  sure  of  this ;  that  God  counts  it  no  sin  in  a  man 
to  stop  and  take  breath.  '  Press  forward  toward  the 
mark  of  your  high  calling,'  St.  Paul  says :  but  he  does 
not  forbid  a  man  to  refresh  and  amuse  himself  harmlessly 
and  rationally,  from  time  to  time,  with  all  the  pleasant 
things  which  God  has  put  into  this  world.  They  do 
refresh  us,  and  they  do  amuse  us,  these  pleasant  things. 
And  God  made  them,  and  put  them  here.  Surely  he 
put  them  here  to  refresh  and  amuse  us.    He  did  not 


7S 


THE  RACE  OF  LIFE. 


[SERM. 


surely  put  them  here  to  trap  us,  and  snare  us,  and  tempt 
us  not  to  run  the  very  race  which  he  himself  has  set 
before  us?  No,  no,  my  friends.  He  made  pleasant 
things  to  please  us,  amusing  things  to  amuse  us.  Every 
good  gift  comes  from  him. 

But  if  a  man  thinks  of  nothing  but  amusing  himself, 
he  is  like  a  horse  who  stands  still  in  the  middle  of  a 
journey,  and  begins  feeding.  Let  him  do  his  day's 
journey,  and  feed  afterwards ;  and  so  get  strength  for 
his  next  day's  work.  But  if  he  will  stand  still,  and  feed ; 
if  he  will  forget  that  he  has  any  work  at  all  to  do ;  then 
we  shall  punish  him,  to  make  him  go  on.  And  so  will 
God  do  with  us.  He  will  strike  us  then ;  and  sharply 
too.  Much  more,  if  a  man  gives  himself  up  to  sinful 
pleasure ;  if  he  gives  himself  up  to  a  loose  and  profligate 
life,  and,  like  many  a  young  man,  wastes  his  substance 
in  riotous  living,  and  devours  his  heavenly  Father's  gifts 
with  harlots — then  God  will  strike  that  man;  and  all 
the  more  sharply  the  more  worth  and  power  there  is  in 
the  man.  The  more  God  has  given  the  man,  the  sharper 
will  be  God's  stroke,  if  he  deserves  it. 

And  why  ? 

Ask  yourselves.  Suppose  that  your  horse  had  plunged 
into  a  deep  ditch,  and  was  lying  there  in  mire  and 
thorns;  would  you  not  strike  him,  and  sharply  too, 
to  make  him  put  out  his  whole  strength,  and  rise,  and  by 
one  great  struggle  clear  himself? 

Of  course  you  would :  and  the  more  spirited,  the 
more  powerful  the  animal  was,  the  sharper  you  would  be 
with  him,  because  the  more  sure  you  would  be  that  he 
could  answer  to  your  call  if  he  chose. 


X.] 


THE  RACE  OF  LIFE. 


79 


Even  so  does  God  with  us.  If  he  sees  us  lying 
down  ;  forgetting  utterly  that  we  have  any  work  or  duty 
to  do ;  and  wallowing  in  the  mire  of  fleshly  lusts,  and 
thorns  of  worldly  cares,  then  he  will  strike ;  and  all  the 
more  sharply,  the  more  real  worth  or  power  there  is  in 
us ;  that  he  may  rouse  us,  and  force  us  to  exert  ourselves 
and  by  one  great  struggle,  like  the  mired  horse,  clear 
ourselves  out  of  the  sin  which  besets  us,  and  holds  us 
down,  and  leap,  as  it  were,  once  and  for  all,  out  of  the 
death  of  sin,  into  the  life  of  righteousness. 

But  much  more  if  there  be  not  merely  sin  in  us,  but 
wickedness ;  self-will,  self-conceit,  and  rebellion. 

For  see,  my  friends.  If  we  were  training  a  young 
animal,  how  should  we  treat  it?  If  it  were  merely  weak, 
we  should  strengthen  and  exercise  it.  If  it  were  merely 
ignorant,  we  should  teach  it.  If  it  were  lazy,  we  should 
begin  to  punish  it ;  but  gently,  that  it  might  still  have 
confidence,  faith  in  us,  and  pleasure  in  its  work. 

But  if  we  found  wickedness  in  it — vice,  as  we  rightly 
call  it — if  it  became  restive,  that  is,  rebellious  and  self- 
willed,  then  we  should  punish  it  indeed.  Seldom,  per- 
haps, but  very  sharply ;  that  it  might  see  clearly  that  we 
were  the  stronger,  and  that  rebellion  was  of  no  use  at  all. 

And  so  does  the  Lord  with  us,  my  friends.  If  we 
will  not  go  his  way  by  kindness,  he  will  make  us  go 
by  severity. 

First,  when  we  are  christened,  and  after  that  day  by 
day,  if  we  ask  him — and  often  when  we  ask  him  not — 
he  gives  us  the  gentle  baptism  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  freshen- 
ing, strengthening,  encouraging,  inspiriting.    But  if  we 


So 


THE  RACE  OF  LIFE. 


[SERM. 


will  not  go  on  well  for  that ;  if  we  will  rebel,  and  try 
our  own  way,  and  rush  out  of  God's  road  after  this  and 
that,  in  pride  and  self-will,  as  if  we  were  our  own 
masters;  then,  my  friends — then  will  God  baptize  us 
with  fire,  and  strike  with  a  blow  which  goes  nigh  to  cut 
a  man  in  two  Very  seldom  he  strikes ;  for  he  is  pitiful, 
and  of  tender  mercy :  but  with  a  rod  as  of  fire,  of  which 
it  is  written,  that  it  is  sharper  than  a  two-edged  sword, 
and  pierces  through  the  joints  and  marrow.  Very 
seldom  :  but  very  sharply,  that  there  may  be  no  mistake 
about  what  the  blow  means,  and  that  the  man  may 
know,  however  cunning,  or  proud,  or  self-righteous  he 
may  be,  that  God  is  the  Lord,  God  is  his  Master,  and 
will  be  obeyed ;  and  woe  to  him,  if  he  obey  him  not 
And  what  can  a  man  do  then,  but  writhe  in  the  bitterness 
of  his  soul,  and  get  back  into  God's  high-way  as  fast  as 
he  can,  in  fear  and  trembling  lest  the  next  blow  cut  him 
in  asunder?  And  so,  by  the  bitterness  of  disappoint- 
ment, or  bereavement,  or  sickness,  or  poverty,  or  worst 
of  all,  of  shame,  will  the  Lord  baptize  the  man  with  fire. 

But  all  in  love,  my  friends ;  and  all  for  the  man's 
good.  Does  God  like  to  punish  his  creatures  ?  like  to 
torment  them  ?  Some  think  that  he  does,  and  say  that 
he  finds  what  they  call  'satisfaction'  in  punishing.  I 
think  that  they  mistake  the  devil  for  God.  No,  my 
friends ;  what  does  he  say  himself?  '  Have  I  any 
pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked ;  and  not  rather  that 
he  should  turn  from  his  ways,  and  live  ?'  Surely  he  has 
not.  If  he  had,  do  you  think  that  he  would  have  sent 
us  into  this  world  at  all  ?    I  do  not.    And  I  trust  and 


X.] 


THE  RACE  OF  LIFE. 


Si 


hope  that  you  will  not.  Believe  that  even  when  he  cuts 
us  to  the  heart's  core,  and  baptizes  us  with  fire,  he  does 
it  only  out  of  his  eternal  love,  that  he  may  help  and 
deliver  us  all  the  more  speedily. 

For  God's  sake — for  Christ's  sake — for  your  own  sake 
■ — keep  that  in  mind,  that  Christ's  will,  and  therefore 
God's  will,  is  to  help  and  deliver  us ;  that  he  stands  by 
us,  and  comes  among  us,  for  that  very  purpose.  Con- 
sider St.  Paul's  parable,  in  which  he  talks  of  us  as  men 
running  a  race,  and  of  Christ  as  the  judge  who  looks  on 
to  see  how  we  run.  But  for  what  purpose  does  Christ 
look  on  %  To  catch  us  out,  as  we  say  ?  To  mark  down 
every  fault  of  ours,  and  punish  wherever  he  has  an 
opportunity  or  a  reason  ?  Does  he  stand  there  spying, 
frowning,  fault-finding,  accusing  every  man  in  his  turn, 
extreme  to  watch  what  is  done  amiss?  If  an  earthly 
judge  did  that,  we  should  call  him — what  he  would  be — 
an  ill-conditioned  man.  But  dare  we  fancy  anything 
ill-conditioned  in  God  ?  God  forbid !  His  conditions 
are  altogether  good,  and  his  will  a  good  will  to  men; 
and  therefore,  say  the  Epistle  and  the  Collect,  we  ought 
not  to  be  terrified,  but  to  rejoice,  at  the  thought  that  the 
Lord  is  looking  on.  However  badly  we  are  running  our 
race,  yet  if  we  are  trying  to  move  forward  at  all,  we 
ought  to  rejoice  that  God  in  Christ  is  looking  on. 

And  why? 

Why?  Because  he  is  looking  on,  not  to  torment,  but 
to  help.  Because  he  loves  us  better  than  we  love  our- 
selves. Because  he  is  more  anxious  for  us  to  get  saiely 
through  this  world  than  we  are  ourselves. 

G 


82  THE  RACE  OF  LIFE.  [SERM. 


Will  you  understand  that,  and  believe  that,  once  for 
all,  my  friends  ? — That  God  is  not  against  you,  but  for 
you,  in  the  struggles  of  life ;  that  he  wants  you  to  get 
through  safe ;  -wants  you  to  succeed ;  wants  you  to 
win ;  and  that  therefore  he  will  help  you,  and  hear 
your  cry. 

And  therefore  when  you  find  yourselves  wrong,  utterly 
wrong,  do  not  cry  to  this  man  or  that  man,  '  Do  you 
help  me ;  do  you  set  me  a  little  more  right,  before  God 
comes  and  finds  me  in  the  wrong,  and  punishes  me.' 
Cry  to  God  himself,  to  Christ  himself;  ask  him  to  lift 
you  up,  ask  him  to  set  you  right.  Do  not  be  like 
St.  Peter  before  his  conversion,  and  cry,  '  Depart  from 
me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord ;  wait  a  little,  till  I 
have  risen  up,  and  washed  off  my  stains,  and  made 
myself  somewhat  fit  to  be  seen.' — No.  Cry,  'Come 
quickly,  O  Lord — at  once,  just  because  I  am  a  sinful 
man  ;  just  because  I  am  sore  let  and  hindered  in  running 
my  race  by  my  own  sins  and  wickedness;  because  I  am 
lazy  and  stupid ;  because  I  am  perverse  and  vicious, 
therefore  raise  up  thy  power,  and  come  to  me,  thy 
miserable  creature,  thy  lost  child,  and  with  thy  great 
might  succour  me.  Lift  me  up  for  I  have  fallen  very 
low;  deliver  me,  for  I  have  plunged  out  of  thy  sound 
and  safe  highway  into  deep  mire,  where  no  ground  is. 
Help  myself  I  cannot,  and  ,if  thou  help  me  not,  I  am 
undone.' 

Do  so.  Pray  so.  Let  your  sins  and  wickedness  be 
to  you  not  a  reason  for  hiding  from  Christ  who  stands 
by ;  but  a  reason,  the  reason  of  all  reasons,  for  crying  to 
Christ  who  stands  by. 


X.] 


THE  RACE  OF  LIFE. 


83 


And  then,  whether  he  deliver  you  by  kind  means  or 
by  sharp  ones,  deliver  you  he  will ;  and  set  your  feet  on 
firm  ground,  and  order  your  goings,  that  you  may  run 
with  patience  the  race  which  is  set  before  you  along  the 
road  of  life,  and  the  pathway  of  God's  commandments, 
wherein  there  is  no  death. 

This,  my  friends,  is  one  of  the  meanings  of  Advent. 
This  is  the  meaning  of  the  Collect,  the  Epistle,  and  the 
Gospel. — That  God  in  Christ  stands  by  us,  ready  to 
help  and  deliver  us ;  and  that  if  we  cry  to  him  even  out 
of  the  lowest  depth,  he  will  hear  our  voice.  And  that 
then,  when  he  has  once  put  us  into  the  right  road  again, 
and  sees  us  going  bravely  along  it  to  the  best  of  the 
power  which  he  has  given  us,  he  will  fulfil  to  us  his 
eternal  promise,  'Thy  sins — and  not  only  thy  sins,  but 
thine  iniquities — I  will  remember  no  more.' 


SERMON  XI. 


SELF-RESPECT  AND  SELF-RIGHTEOUSXESS. 
Psalm  vii.  8. 

Give  sentence  for  me,  0  Lord,  according  to  my  righteousness ;  and 
according  to  the  innocency  that  is  in  me. 

T  S  this  speech  self-righteous  ?    If  so,  it  is  a  bad  speech ; 

for  self-righteousness  is  a  bad  temper  of  mind  ;  there 
are  few  worse.  If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive 
ourselves,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us.  If  we  confess  our 
sins,  God  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and 
to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness.  If  we  say  that 
we  have  not  sinned,  we  make  him  a  liar. 

This  is  plain  enough ;  and  true  as  God  is  true.  But 
there  is  another  temper  of  mind  which  is  right  in  its 
way ;  and  which  is  not  self-righteousness,  though  it  may 
look  like  it  at  first  sight.  I  mean  the  temper  of  Job, 
when  his  friends  were  trying  to  prove  to  him  that  he 
must  be  a  bad  man,  and  to  make  him  accuse  himself  of 
all  sorts  of  sins  which  he  had  not  committed ;  and  he 
answered  that  he  would  utter  no  deceit,  and  tell  no  lies 
about  himself.  'Till  I  die  I  will  not  remove  mine  in- 
tegrity from  me ;  my  righteousness  I  will  hold  fast,  and 
will  not  let  it  go;  my  heart  shall  not  reproach  me  as 
long  as  I  live.'  I  have,  on  the  whole,  tried  to  be  a  good 
man,  and  I  will  not  make  myself  out  a  bad  one. 


SELF-RESPECT  AND  SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.  85 


For,  my  friends,  with  the  Bible  as  with  everything 
else,  we  must  hear  both  sides  of  the  question,  lest  we 
understand  neither  side. 

We  may  misuse  St.  John's  doctrine,  that  if  we  say  we 
have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves.  We  may  deceive 
ourselves  in  the  very  opposite  way. 

In  the  first  place,  some  people,  having  learnt  that  it 
is  right  to  confess  their  sins,  try  to  have  as  many  sins  as 
possible  to  confess.  I  do  not  mean  that  they  commit 
the  sins,  but  that  they  try  to  fancy  they  have  committed 
them.  This  is  very  common  now,  and  has  been  for 
many  hundred  years,  especially  among  young  women 
and  lads  who  are  of  a  weakly  melancholy  temper,  or  who 
have  suffered  some  great  disappointment.  They  are  fond 
of  accusing  themselves ;  of  making  little  faults  into  great 
ones ;  of  racking  their  memories  to  find  themselves  out 
in  the  wrong;  of  taking  the  darkest  possible  view  of 
themselves,  and  of  what  is  going  to  happen  to  them. 
They  forget  that  Solomon,  the  wise,  when  he  says,  '  Be 
not  over-much  wicked ;  neither  be  thou  foolish — why 
shouldst  thou  die  before  thy  time  ?' — says  also,  '  Be  not 
righteous  over-much ;  neither  make  thyself  over-wise. 
Why  shouldst  thou  destroy  thyself?' 

For  such  people  do  destroy  themselves.  I  have  seen 
them  kill  their  own  bodies,  and  die  early,  by  this  folly. 
And  I  have  seen  them  kill  their  own  souls,  too,  and  enter 
into  strong  delusions,  till  they  believe  a  lie,  and  many 
lies,  from  which  one  had  hoped  that  the  Bible  would 
have  delivered  any  and  every  man. 

One  cannot  be  angry  with  such  people.    One  can 


86 


SELF-RESPECT  AND 


[SERM. 


only  pity  them,  and  pity  them  all  the  more,  when  one 
finds  them  generally  the  most  innocent,  the  very  persons 
who  have  least  to  confess.  One  can  but  pity  them,  when 
one  sees  them  applying  to  themselves  God's  warnings 
against  sins  of  which  they  never  even  heard  the  names, 
and  fancying  that  God  speaks  to  them,  as  St.  Paul  says 
that  he  did  to  the  old  heathen  Romans,  when  they  were 
steeped  up  to  the  lips  in  every  crime. 

No — one  can  do  more  than  pity  them.  One  can  pray 
for  them  that  they  may  learn  to  know  God,  and  who  he 
is :  and  by  knowing  him,  may  be  delivered  out  of  the 
hands  of  cunning  and  cruel  teachers,  who  make  a  market 
of  their  melancholy,  and  hide  from  them  the  truth  about 
God,  lest  the  truth  should  make  them  free,  while  their 
teachers  wish  to  keep  them  slaves. 

This  is  one  misuse  of  St.  John's  doctrine.  There  is 
another  and  a  far  worse  misuse  of  it. 

A  man  may  be  proud  of  confessing  his  sins ;  may 
become  self-righteous  and  conceited,  according  to  the 
number  of  the  sins  which  he  confesses. 

So  deceitful  is  this  same  human  heart  of  ours,  that  so 
it  is  I  have  seen  people  quite  proud  of  calling  themselves 
miserable  sinners.  I  say,  proud  of  it.  For  if  they  had 
really  felt  themselves  miserable  sinners,  they  would  have 
said  less  about  their  own  feelings.  If  a  man  really  feels 
what  sin  is — if  he  feels  what  a  miserable,  pitiful,  mean 
thing  it  is  to  be  doing  wrong  when  one  knows  better,  to 
be  the  slave  of  one's  own  tempers,  passions,  appetites — 
oh,  if  man  or  woman  ever  knew  the  exceeding  sinfulness 
of  sin,  he  would  hide  his  own  shame  in  the  depths  of  his 


XI.] 


SELF-RIGH  TE  0  US  NESS. 


37 


heart,  and  tell  it  to  God  alone,  or  at  most  to  none  on 
earth  save  the  holiest,  the  wisest,  the  trustiest,  the  nearest 
and  the  dearest. 

But  when  one  hears  a  man  always  talking  about  his 
own  sinfulness,  one  suspects — and  from  experience  one 
has  only  too  much  reason  to  suspect — that  he  is  simply 
saying  in  a  civil  way,  'lama  better  man  than  you ;  for 
I  talk  about  my  sinfulness,  and  you  do  not.' 

For  if  you  answer  such  a  man,  as  old  Job  or  David 
would  have  done,  '  I  will  not  confess  what  I  have  not 
felt.  I  have  tried  and  am  trying  to  be  an  upright,  re- 
spectable, sober,  right-living  man.  Let  God  judge  me 
according  to  the  innocency  that  is  in  me.  I  know  that 
I  am  not  perfect :  no  man  is  that :  but  I  will  not  cant ; 
I  will  not  be  a  hypocrite  ;  and  if  I  accuse  myself  of  sins 
which  I  have  not  committed,  it  seems  to  me  that  I  shall 
be  mocking  God,  and  deceiving  myself.  I  will  trust  to 
God  to  judge  me  fairly,  to  balance  between  the  good  and 
the  evil  which  is  in  me,  and  deal  with  me  accordingly.' 

If  you  speak  in  that  way,  the  other  man  will  answer 
you  plainly  enough,  '  Ah  !  you  are  utterly  benighted. 
You  are  building  on  legality  and  morality.  You  have 
not  yet  learnt  the  first  principles  of  the  Gospel'  And 
with  these,  and  other  words,  will  give  you  to  understand 
this — That  he  thinks  he  is  going  to  heaven,  and  you  are 
going  to  hell. 

Now,  my  dear  friends,  you  are  partly  right,  and  he  is 
partly  right.  St.  Paul  will  show  you  where  you  are  right 
and  where  he  is  right.  He  does  so,  I  think,  in  a  certain 
noble  text  of  his  in  which  he  says,  '  I  judge  not  mine 


88  SELF-RESPECT  AND  [SERM. 


own  self;  for  I  know  nothing  against  myself,  yet  am  I 
not  hereby  justified  :  but  he  that  judgeth  me  is  the  Lord.' 

Now  remember  that  no  man  was  less  self-righteous 
than  St.  Paul.  No  man  ever  saw  more  clearly  the  sinful- 
ness of  sin.  No  man  ever  put  into  words  so  strongly  the 
struggle  between  good  and  evil  which  goes  on  in  the 
human  heart.  In  one  place,  even,  when  speaking  of  his 
former  life,  he  calls  himself  the  chief  of  sinners.  Yet 
St.  Paul,  when  he  had  done  his  duty,  knew  that  he  had 
done  it,  and  was  not  afraid  to  say — as  no  honest  and 
upright  man  need  be  afraid  to  say — 'I  know  nothing 
against  myself.'  For  if  you  have  done  right,  my  friend, 
it  is  God  who  has  helped  you  to  do  it ;  and  it  is  difficult 
to  see  how  you  can  honour  God,  by  pretending  instead 
that  he  has  left  you  to  do  wrong. 

This,  then,  seems  to  be  the  rule.  If  you  have  done 
wrong,  be  not  afraid  to  confess  it.  If  you  have  done 
right,  be  not  afraid  to  confess  that  either.  And  mean- 
while keep  up  your  self-respect.  Try  to  do  your  duty. 
Try  to  keep  your  honour  bright.  Let  no  man  be  able 
to  say  that  he  is  the  worse  for  you.  Still  more  let  no 
woman  be  able  to  say  that  she  is  the  worse  for  you  j  for 
if  you  treat  another  man's  daughter  as  you  would  not  let 
him  treat  yours,  where  is  your  honour  then,  or  your  clear 
conscience  ?  What  cares  man,  what  cares  God,  for  your 
professions  of  uprightness  and  respectability,  if  you  take 
good  care  to  behave  well  to  men,  who  can  defend  them- 
selves, and  take  no  care  to  behave  well  to  a  poor  girl, 
who  cannot  defend  herself?  Recollect  that  when  Job 
stood  up  for  his  own  integrity,  and  would  not  give  up  his 


XI.] 


SELF-RIGHTE  0  US  NESS. 


89 


belief  that  he  was  a  righteous  man,  he  took  care  to  justify 
himself  in  this  matter,  as  well  as  on  others.  '  I  made  a 
covenant  with  mine  eyes,'  he  says ;  '  why  then  should  I 
think  upon  a  maid  ?  If  mine  heart  have  been  deceived 
by  a  woman ;  or  if  I  have  laid  wait  at  my  neighbour's 
door;'  'Then,'  he  says  in  words  too  strong  for  me  to 
repeat,  '  let  others  do  to  my  wife  as  I  have  done  to  theirs.' 

Avoid  this  sin,  and  all  sins.  Let  no  man  be  able  to 
say  that  you  have  defrauded  him,  that  you  have  tyrannized 
over  him ;  that  you  have  neglected  to  do  your  duty  by 
him.  Let  no  man  be  able  to  say  that  you  have  rewarded 
him  evil  for  evil.  If  possible,  let  him  not  be  able  to  say 
that  you  have  even  lost  your  temper  with  him.  Be 
generous ;  be  forgiving.  If  you  have  an  opportunity,  be 
like  David,  and  help  him  who  without  a  cause  is  your 
enemy;  and  then  you  will  have  a  right  to  say,  like 
David,  '  Give  sentence  with  me,  O  Lord,  according  to 
my  righteousness,  and  according  to  the  cleanness  of  my 
hands  in  thy  sight' 

True — that  will  not  justify  you.  In  God's  sight  shall 
no  man  living  be  justified,  if  justification  is  to  come  by 
having  no  faults.  What  man  is  there  who  lives,  and 
sins  not  ?  Who  is  there  among  us,  but  knows  that  he  is 
not  the  man  he  might  be?  Who  does  not  know,  that 
even  if  he  seldom  does  what  he  ought  not,  he  too  often 
leaves  undone  what  he  ought?  And  more  than  that — ■ 
none  of  us  but  does  many  a  really  wrong  thing  of  which 
he  never  knows,  at  least  in  this  life.  None  of  us  but  are 
blind,  more  or  less,  to  our  own  faults ;  and  often  blind — 
God  forgive  us  ! — to  our  very  worst  faults. 


9o 


SELF-RESPECT  AND 


[SERM. 


Then  let  us  remember,  that  he  who  judges  us  is  the 
Lord. 

Now  is  that  a  thought  to  be  afraid  of? 

David  did  not  think  so,  when  he  had  done  right. 
For  he  says,  in  this  Psalm,  'Judge  me,  O  Lord  !' 

And  when  he  has  done  wrong,  he  thinks  so  still  less ; 
for  then  he  asks  God  all  the  more  earnestly,  not  only  to 
judge  him,  but  to  correct  him  likewise.  'Purge  me,'  he 
says,  'and  I  shall  be  clean.  Cleanse  thou  me  from  my 
secret  faults,  and  make  me  to  understand  wisdom  secretly. 
For  thou  requirest  truth  in  the  inward  parts.' 

That  is  bravely  spoken,  and  worthy  of  an  honest  man, 
who  wishes  above  all  things  to  be  right,  whatsoever  it 
may  cost  him. 

But  how  did  David  get  courage  to  ask  that? 

By  knowing  God,  and  who  God  was. 

For  this,  my  friends,  is  the  key  to  the  whole  matter — 
as  it  is  to  all  matters — Who  is  God  ? 

If  you  believe  God  to  be  a  hard  task-master,  and  a 
cruel  being,  extreme  to  mark  what  is  done  amiss,  an 
accuser  like  the  devil,  instead  of  a  forgiver  and  a  Saviour, 
as  he  really  is; — then  you  will  begin  judging  yourself 
wrongly  and  clumsily,  instead  of  asking  God  to  judge 
you  wisely  and  well. 

You  will  break  both  of  the  golden  rules  which  St. 
Anthony,  the  famous  hermit,  used  to  give  to  his  scholars. 
— '  Regret  not  that  which  is  past ;  and  trust  not  in  thine 
own  righteousness.'  For  you  will  lose  time,  and  lose 
heart,  in  fretting  over  old  sins  and  follies,  instead  of  con- 
fessing them  once  and  for  all  to  God,  and  going  boldly 


X,.] 


SELF-RIGHTE  0  US  NESS. 


91 


to  his  throne  of  grace  to  find  mercy  and  grace  to  help 
you  in  the  time  of  need ;  that  you  may  try  again  and  do 
better  for  the  future.  And  so  it  will  be  true  of  you — I 
am  sure  I  have  seen  it  come  true  of  many  a  poor  soul — 
what  David  found,  before  he  found  out  the  goodness  of 
God's  free  pardon  : — '  While  I  held  my  tongue,  my  bones 
waxed  old  through  my  daily  complaining.  For  thy  hand 
was  heavy  upon  me  night  and  day;  my  moisture  was 
like  the  drought  in  summer. 

And  all  that  while  (such  contradictory  creatures  are 
we  all),  you  may  be  breaking  St.  Anthony's  other  golden 
rule,  and  trusting  in  your  own  righteousness. 

You  will  begin  trying  to  cleanse  yourself  from  little 
outside  faults,  and  fancying  that  that  is  all  you  have  to 
do,  instead  of  asking  God  to  cleanse  you  from  your  secret 
faults,  from  the  deep  inward  faults  which  he  alone  can 
see ;  forgetting  that  they  are  the  root,  and  the  outside 
faults  only  the  fruit.  And  so  you  will  be  like  a  foolish 
sick  man,  who  is  afraid  of  the  doctor,  and  therefore  tries 
to  physic  himself.  But  what  does  he  do  ?  Only  tamper 
and  peddle  with  the  outside  symptoms  of  his  complaint, 
instead  of  going  to  the  physician,  that  he  may  find  out 
and  cure  the  complaint  itself.  Many  a  man  has  killed 
his  own  body  in  that  way;  and  many  a  man  more,  I 
fear,  has  killed  his  own  soul,  because  he  was  afraid  of 
going  to  the  Great  Physician. 

But  if  you  will  believe  that  God  is  good,  and  not  evil ; 
if  you  will  believe  that  the  heavenly  Father  is  indeed 
your  Father;  if  you  will  believe  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  really  loves  you,  really  died  to  save  you,  really 


92 


SELF-RESPECT  AND 


[SERM. 


wishes  to  deliver  you  from  your  sins,  and  make  you  what 
you  ought  to  be,  and  what  you  can  be :  then  you  will 
have  heart  to  do  your  duty;  because  you  will  be  sure 
that  God  helps  you  to  do  your  duty.  You  will  have 
heart  to  fight  bravely  against  your  bad  habits,  instead  of 
fretting  cowardly  over  them;  because  you  know  that 
God  is  fighting  against  them  for  you.  You  will  not,  on 
the  other  hand,  trust  in  your  own  righteousness ;  because 
you  will  soon  learn  that  you  have  no  righteousness  of 
your  own  :  but  that  all  the  good  in  you  comes  from  God, 
who  works  in  you  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure. 

And  when  you  examine  yourself,  and  think  over  your 
own  life  and  character,  as  every  man  ought  to  do, 
especially  in  Advent  and  Lent,  you  will  have  heart  to 
say,  '  O  God,  thou  knowest  how  far  I  am  right,  and  how 
far  wrong.  I  leave  myself  in  thy  hand,  certain  that  thou 
wilt  deal  fairly,  justly,  lovingly  with  me,  as  a  Father  with 
his  son.  I  do  not  pretend  to  be  better  than  I  am  : 
neither  will  I  pretend  to  be  worse  than  I  am.  Truly, 
I  know  nothing  about  it.  I,  ignorant  human  being  that 
I  am,  can  never  fully  know  how  far  I  am  right,  and  how 
far  wrong.  I  find  light  and  darkness  fighting  together 
in  my  heart,  and  I  cannot  divide  between  them.  But 
thou  canst.  Thou  knowest.  Thou  hast  made  me; 
thou  lovest  me ;  thou  hast  sent  thy  Son  into  the  world 
to  make  me  what  I  ought  to  be ;  and  therefore  I  believe 
that  he  will  make  me  what  I  ought  to  be.  Thou  wiliest 
not  that  I  should  perish,  but  come  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth  :  and  therefore  I  believe  that  I  shall  not  perish, 
but  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  about  thee, 


XI.] 


SELF-RIGHTE  0  USNESS. 


93 


about  my  own  character,  my  own  duty,  about  everything 
which  it  is  needful  for  me  to  know.  And  therefore  I 
will  go  boldly  on,  doing  my  duty  as  well  as  I  can, 
though  not  perfectly,  day  by  day;  and  asking  thee  day 
by  day  to  feed  my  soul  with  its  daily  bread.  Thou 
feedest  my  soul  with  its  daily  bread.  How  much  more 
then  wilt  thou  feed  my  mind  and  my  heart,  more  precious 
by  far  than  my  body  ?  Yes,  I  will  trust  thee  for  soul 
and  for  body  alike ;  and  if  I  need  correcting  for  my  sins, 
I  am  sure  at  least  of  this,  that  the  worst  thing  that  can 
happen  to  me  or  any  man,  is  to  do  wrong  and  not  to  be 
corrected  ;  and  the  best  thing  is  to  be  set  right,  even  by 
hard  blows,  as  often  as  I  stray  out  of  the  way.  And 
therefore  I  will  take  my  punishment  quietly  and  manfully, 
and  try  to  thank  thee  for  it,  as  I  ought ;  for  I  know  that 
thou  wilt  not  punish  me  beyond  what  I  deserve,  but  far 
below  what  I  deserve ;  and  that  thou  wilt  punish  me 
only  to  bring  me  to  myself,  and  to  correct  me,  and  purge 
me,  and  strengthen  me.  For  this  I  believe — on  the 
warrant  of  thine  own  word  I  believe  it — undeserved  as 
the  honour  is,  that  thou  art  my  Father,  and  lovest  me; 
and  dost  not  afflict  any  man  willingly,  or  grieve  the 
children  of  men  out  of  passion  or  out  of  spite ;  and  that 
thou  wiliest  not  that  I  should  be  damned,  nor  any  man ; 
but  wiliest  have  all  men  saved,  and  come  to  the  know- 
ledge of  the  truth. 


SERMON  XII. 


TRUE  REPENTANCE. 

Ezekiel  xviii.  27. 

When  the  wicked  man  turneth  away  from  his  wickedness  which  he 
hath  committed,  and  doeth  that  which  is  lawful  and  right,  he 
shall  save  his  soul  alive. 

"\    7"E  hear  a  great  deal  about  repentance,  and  how 
necessary  it  is  for  a  man  to  repent  of  his  sins ; 
for  unless  a  man  repent,  he  cannot  be  forgiven.    But  do 
we  all  of  us  really  know  what  repentance  means? 

I  sometimes  fear  not.  I  sometimes  fear,  that  though 
this  text  stands  at  the  opening  of  the  Church  service, 
and  though  people  hear  it  as  often  as  any  text  in  the 
whole  Bible,  yet  they  have  not  really  learnt  the  lesson 
which  God  sends  them  by  it. 

What,  then,  does  repentance  mean  1 

*  Being  sorry  for  what  weTTave  done  wrong,'  say  some. 

But  is  that  all?  I  suppose  there  are  few  wicked 
things  done  upon  earth,  for  which  the  doers  of  them 
are  not  sorry,  sooner  or  later.  A  man  does  a  wrong 
thing,  and  his  conscience  pricks  him,  and  makes  him 
uneasy,  and  he  says  in  his  heart,  '  I  wish  after  all  I  had 
left  that  alone.'  But  the  next  time  he  is  tempted  to  do 
the  same  thing,  he  does  it,  and  is  ashamed  of  himself 
afterwards  again :  but  that  is  not  repentance.    I  suppose 


TRUE  REPENTANCE. 


95 


that  there  have  been  few  murders  committed  in  the 
world,  after  which  sooner  or  later  the  murderer  did  not 
say  in  his  heart — 'Ah,  that  that  man  were  alive  and 
well  again  !'    But  that  is  not  repentance. 

For  aught  I  can  tell,  the  very  devii  is  sorry  for  his 
sin ; — discontented,  angry  with  himself,  ashamed  of  him- 
self for  being  a  devil.  He  may  be  so  to  all  eternity, 
and  yet  never  repent.  For  the  dark  uneasy  feeling 
which  comes  over  every  man  sooner  or  later,  after  doing 
wrong,  is  not  repentance ;  it  is  remorse ;  the  most 
horrible  and  miserable  of  all  feelings,  when  it  comes 
upon  a  man  in  its  full  strength ;  the  feeling  of  hating 
oneself,  being  at  war  with  oneself,  and  with  all  the  world, 
and  with  God  who  made  it. 

But  that  will  save  no  man's  soul  alive.  Repentance 
will  save  any  and  every  soul  alive,  then  and  there :  but 
remorse  will  not.  Remorse  may  only  kill  him.  Kill 
his  body,  by  making  him,  as  many  a  poor  creature  has 
done,  put  an  end  to  himself  in  sheer  despair :  and  kill 
his  soul  at  least,  by  making  him  say  in  his  heart,  '  Well, 
if  bad  I  am,  bad  I  must  be.  I  hate  myself,  and  God 
hates  me  also.  All  I  can  do  is,  to  forget  my  unhappi- 
ness  if  I  can,  in  business,  in  pleasure,  in  drink,  and  drive 
remorse  out  of  my  head ;'  and  often  a  man  succeeds  in 
so  doing.  The  first  time  he  does  a  wrong  thing,  he  feels 
sorry  and  ashamed  after  it.  Then  he  takes  courage  after 
awhile,  and  does  it  again;  and  feels  less  sorrow  and 
shame;  and  so  again  and  again,  till  the  sin  becomes 
easier  and  easier  to  him,  and  his  conscience  grows  more 
and  more  dull ;  till  at  last  perhaps,  the  feeling  of  its 


96  TRUE  REPENTANCE.  [serm 


being  wrong  quite  dies  within — and  that  is  the  death  of 
his  soul. 

But  of  true  repentance,  it  is  written,  that  he  who 
repents  shall  save  his  soul  alive.    And  how  ? 

The  word  for  repentance  in  Scripture  means  simply 
a  change  of  mind.  To  change  one's  mind  is,  in  Scripture 
words,  to  repent. 

Now  if  a  man  changes  his  mind,  he  changes  his 
conduct  also.  If  you  set  out  to  go  to  a  place  and 
change  your  mind,  then  you  do  not  go  there.  If  as  you 
go  on,  you  begin  to  have  doubts  about  its  being  right  to 
go,  or  to  be  sorry  that  you  are  going,  and  still  walk 
on  in  the  same  road,  however  slowly  or  unwillingly,  that 
is  not  changing  your  mind  about  going.  If  you  do 
change  your  mind,  you  will  change  your  steps.  You 
will  turn  back,  or  turn  off,  and  go  some  other  road. 

This  may  seem  too  simple  to  talk  of.  But  if  it  be, 
why  do  not  people  act  upon  it  ?  If  a  man  finds  that 
in  his  way  through  life  he  is  on  the  wrong  road,  the  road 
which  leads  to  shame,  and  sorrow,  and  death  and  hell, 
why  will  he  confess  that  he  is  on  the  wrong  road,  and 
say  that  he  is  very  sorry  (as  perhaps  he  really  may  be) 
that  he  is  going  wrong,  and  yet  go  on,  and  persevere  on 
the  wrong  path  ?  At  least,  as  long  as  he  keeps  on  the 
road  which  leads  to  ruin,  he  has  not  changed  his  mind, 
or  repented  at  all.  He  may  find  the  road  unpleasant, 
full  of  thorns,  and  briars,  and  pit-falls ;  for  believe  me, 
however  broad  the  road  is  which  leads  to  destruction, 
it  is  only  the  gate  of  it  which  is  easy  and  comfortable ; 
it  soon  gets  darker  and  rougher,  that  road  of  sin ;  and 


XII.] 


TRUE  REPENTANCE. 


97 


the  further  you  walk  along  it,  the  uglier  and  more 
wretched  a  road  it  is  :  but  all  the  misery  which  it  gives 
to  a  man  is  only  useless  remorse,  unless  he  fairly  repents, 
and  turns  out  of  that  road  into  the  path  which  leads 
to  life. 

Now  the  one  great  business  of  foolish  man  in  all 
times  has  been  to  save  his  soul  (as  he  calls  it)  without 
doing  right ;  to  go  to  heaven  (as  he  calls  it)  without 
walking  the  road  which  leads  to  heaven.  It  is  a  folly 
and  a  dream.  For  no  man  can  get  to  heaven,  unless  he  - 
be  heavenly ;  and  being  heavenly  is  simply  being  good, 
and  neither  more  or  less.  And  sin  is  death,  and  no 
man  can  save  his  soul  alive,  while  it  is  dead  in  sin. 
Still  men  have  been  trying  to  do  it  in  all  ages  and 
countries ;  and  as  soon  as  one  plan  has  failed,  they 
have  tried  some  new  one ;  and  have  invented  some  false 
repentance  which  was  to  serve  instead  of  the  true  one. 
The  old  Jews  seem  to  have  thought  that  the  repentance 
which  God  required  was  burnt-offerings  and  sacrifices  : 
that  if  they  could  only  offer  bullocks  and  goats  enough 
on  God's  altar,  he  would  forgive  them  their  sins.  But 
David,  and  Isaiah  after  him,  and  Ezekiel  after  him, 
found  out  that  that  was  but  a  dream;  that  that  sort 
of  repentance  would  save  no  man's  soul ;  that  God  did 
not  require  burnt-offerings  and  sacrifice  for  sin  :  but 
simply  that  a  man  should  do  right  and  not  wrong. 
'When  ^e  come  before  me,'  saith  the  Lord,  'who  has 
required  this  at  your  hand,  to  tread  my  courts  V  They 
were  to  bring  no  more  vain  offerings :  but  to  put  away 
the  evil  of  their  doings ;  to  cease  to  do  evil,  to  learn  to 

H 


98  TRUE  REPENTANCE.  [SERM. 


do  well;  to  seek  justice,  relieve  the  oppressed,  judge 
the  fatherless,  plead  for  the  widow ;  and  then,  and  then 
only,  though  their  sins  were  as  scarlet,  they  should  be 
white  as  snow.  For  God  would  take  them  for  what  they 
were — as  good,  if  they  were  good ;  as  bad,  if  they  were 
bad.  And  this  agrees  exactly  with  the  text.  'When 
the  wicked  man  turneth  away  from  his  wickedness  which 
he  hath  committed,  and  doeth  that  which  is  lawful  and 
right,  he  shall  save  his  soul  alive.' 

The  Papists  again,  thought  that  the  repentance  which 
God  required,  was  for  a  man  to  punish  himself  bitterly 
for  his  sins ;  to  starve  and  torture  himself,  to  give  up  all 
that  makes  life  pleasant,  and  so  to  atone.  And  good 
and  pious  men  and  women,  with  a  real  hatred  and  horror 
of  sin,  tried  this  :  but  they  found  that  making  themselves 
miserable  took  away  their  sins  no  more  than  burnt- 
offerings  and  sacrifices  would  do  it.  Their  consciences 
were  not  relieved ;  they  gained  no  feeling  of  comfort,  no 
assurance  of  God's  love.  Then  they  said,  '  I  have  not 
punished  myself  enough.  I  have  not  made  myself 
miserable  enough.  I  will  try  whether  more  torture  and 
misery  will  not  wipe  out  my  sins.'  And  so  they  tried 
again,  and  failed  again,  and  then  tried  harder  still,  till 
many  a  noble  man  and  woman  in  old  times  killed  them- 
selves piecemeal  by  slow  torments,  in  trying  to  atone  for 
their  sins,  and  wash  out  in  their  own  blood  what  was 
already  washed  out  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  But 
on  the  whole,  that  was  found  to  be  a  failure.  And  now 
the  great  mass  of  the  Papists  have  fallen  back  on  the 
wretched  notion  that  repentance  merely  means  confessing 


XII.] 


TRUE  REPENTANCE. 


99 


their  sins  to  a  priest,  and  receiving  absolution  from  him, 
and  doing  some  little  penance  too  childish  to  speak  of 
here. 

But  is  there  no  false  repentance  among  us  English, 
too,  my  friends  ?  No  paltry  substitute  for  the  only  true 
repentance  which  God  will  accept,  which  is,  turning 
round  and  doing  right  ?  How  many  there  are,  who  feel 
— '  I  am  very  wrong.  I  am  very  sinful.  I  am  on  the 
road  to  hell.  I  am  quarrelling  and  losing  my  temper, 
and  using  bad  language. — Or — I  am  cheating  my  neigh- 
bour. Or — I  am  living  in  adultery  and  drunkenness : 
I  must  repent  before  it  is  too  late.'  But  what  do  they 
mean  by  repenting?  Coming  as  often  as  they  can  to 
church  or  chapel,  and  reading  all  the  religious  books 
which  they  can  get  hold  of :  till  they  come,  from  often 
reading  and  hearing  about  the  Gospel  promises,  to  some 
confused  notion  that  their  sins  are  washed  away  in 
Christ's  blood ;  or  perhaps,  on  the  strength  of  some 
violent  feelings,  believe  that  they  are  converted  all  on 
a  sudden,  and  clothed  with  the  robe  of  Christ's  right- 
eousness, and  renewed  by  God's  Spirit,  and  that  now 
they  belong  to  the  number  of  believers,  and  are  among 
God's  elect. 

Now,  my  dear  friends,  I  complain  of  no  one  going  to 
hear  all  the  good  they  can ;  I  complain  of  no  one  read- 
ing all  the  religious  books  they  can :  but  I  think — and 
more,  I  know — that  hearing  sermons  and  reading  tracts 
may  be,  and  is  often,  turned  into  a  complete  snare  of 
the  devil  by  people  who  do  not  wish  to  give  up  their 
sins  and  do  right,  but  only  want  to  be  comfortable  in 
their  sins. 


loo  TRUE  REPENTANCE.  [SERM. 


Hear  sermons  if  you  will ;  read  good  books  if  you 
will :  but  bear  in  mind,  that  you  know  already  quite 
enough  to  lead  you  to  repentance.  You  need  neither 
book  nor  sermon  to  teach  you  those  ten  commandments 
which  hang  here  over  the  communion  table:  all  that 
books  and  tracts  and  sermons  can  do  is  to  teach  you 
how  to  keep  those  commandments  in  spirit  and  in  truth : 
but  I  am  sure  I  have  seen  people  read  books,  and  run 
about  to  sermons,  in  order  to  enable  them  to  forget 
those  ten  commandments ;  in  order  to  find  excuses  for 
not  keeping  them;  and  to  find  doctrines  which  tell 
them,  that  because  Christ  has  done  all,  they  need  do 
nothing; — only  feel  a  little  thankfulness,  and  a  little 
sorrow  for  sin,  and  a  little  liking  to  hear  about  religion : 
and  call  that  repentance,  and  conversion,  and  the  re- 
newal of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Now,  my  dear  friends,  let  me  ask  you  as  reasonable 
beings,  Do  you  think  that  hearing  me  or  any  man  preach, 
can  save  your  souls  alive?  Do  you  think  that  sitting 
over  a  book  for  an  hour  a  day,  or  all  day  long,  will  save 
your  souls  alive?  Do  you  think  that  your  sins  are 
washed  away  in  Christ's  blood,  when  they  are  there  still, 
and  you  are  committing  them?  Would  they  be  here, 
and  you  doing  them,  if  they  were  put  away  ?  Do  you 
think  that  your  sins  can  be  put  away  out  of  God's  sight, 
if  they  are  not  even  put  out  of  your  own  sight  ?  If  you 
are  doing  wrong,  do  you  think  that  God  will  treat  you 
you  as  if  you  were  doing  right  ?  Cannot  God  see  in  you 
what  you  see  in  yourselves  1  Do  you  think  a  man  can 
be  clothed  in  Christ's  righteousness  at  the  very  same 


XII.] 


TRUE  REPENTANCE. 


time  that  he  is  clothed  in  his  own  unrighteousness? 
Can  he  be  good  and  bad  at  once  1  Do  you  think  a  man 
can  be  converted — that  is  turned  round — when  he  is 
going  on  his  old  road  the  whole  week  1  Do  you  think 
that  a  man  has  repented — that  is,  changed  his  mind — 
when  he  is  in  just  the  same  mind  as  ever  as  to  how 
he  shall  behave  to  his  family,  his  customers,  and  every- 
body with  whom  he  has  to  do?  Do  you  think  that 
a  man  is  renewed  by  God's  Spirit,  when  except  for  a  few 
religious  phrases,  and  a  little  more  outside  respectability, 
he  is  just  the  old  man,  the  same  character  at  heart  he 
ever  was  ?  Do  you  think  that  there  is  any  use  in  a  man's 
belonging  to  the  number  of  believers,  if  he  does  not  do 
what  he  believes ;  or  any  use  in  thinking  that  God  has 
elected  and  chosen  him,  when  he  chooses  not  to  do 
what  God  has  chosen  that  every  man  must  do,  or  die  ? 

Be  not  deceived.  God  is  not  mocked.  What  a  man 
sows,  that  shall  he  reap.  Let  no  man  deceive  you.  He 
that  doeth  righteousness  is  righteous,  even  as  Christ  is 
righteous,  and  no  one  else. 

He  who  tries  to  do  as  Christ  did,  and  he  only,  has 
Christ's  righteousness  imputed  to  him,  because  he  is 
trying  to  do  what  Christ  did,  that  which  is  lawful  and 
right.  He  who  does  righteousness,  and  he  only,  has 
truly  repented,  changed  his  mind  about  what  he  should 
do,  and  turned  away  from  his  wickedness  which  he  has 
committed,  and  is  now  doing  that  which  is  lawful  and 
right.  He  who  does  righteousness,  and  he  only,  shall 
save  his  soul  alive  :  not  by  feeling  this  thing,  or  believing 
about  that  thing,  but  by  doing  that  which  is  lawful  and 
right. 


102 


TRUE  REPENTANCE. 


[SF.RM. 


We  must  face  it,  my  dear  friends.  We  cannot  deceive 
God :  and  God  will  certainly  not  deceive  himself.  He 
sees  us  as  we  are,  and  takes  us  for  what  we  are.  What 
is  right  in  us,  he  accepts  for  the  salvation  of  Jesus  Christ, 
in  whom  we  are  created  unto  good  works.  What  is 
wrong  in  us,  he  will  assuredly  punish,  and  give  us  the 
exact  reward  of  the  deeds  done  in  the  body,  whether 
they  be  good  or  evil.  Every  work  of  ours  shall  come 
into  judgment,  unless  it  be  repented  of,  and  put  away 
by  the  only  true  repentance — not  doing  the  thing  any 
more. 

God,  I  say,  will  judge  righteous  judgment,  and  take 
us  as  we  are. 

For  the  sake  of  Jesus  the  Lamb  slain  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world,  there  is  full,  free,  and  perfect 
forgiveness  for  every  sin,  when  we  give  it  up.  As  soon 
as  a  man  turns  round,  and,  instead  of  doing  wrong,  tries 
to  do  right,  he  need  be  under  no  manner  of  fear  or 
terror  any  more.  He  is  taken  back  into  his  Father's 
house  as  freely  and  graciously  as  the  prodigal  son  in 
the  parable  was.  Whatsoever  dark  score  there  was 
against  him  in  God's  books  is  wiped  out  there  and  then, 
and  he  starts  clear,  a  new  man,  with  a  fresh  chance 
of  life.  And  whosoever  tells  him  that  the  score  is  not 
wiped  out,  lies,  and  contradicts  flatly  God's  holy  word. 
But  as  long  as  a  man  does  not  give  up  his  sins,  the  dark 
score  does  stand  against  him  in  God's  books;  and  no 
praying,  or  reading,  or  devoutness  of  any  kind  will  wipe 
it  out ;  and  as  long  as  he  sins,  he  is  still  in  his  sins,  and 
his  sins  will  be  his  ruin.    Whosoever  tells  him  that  they 


XII.]  TRUE  REPENTANCE.  1 03 


are  wiped  out,  he  too  lies,  and  contradicts  flatly  God's 
holy  word. 

For  God  is  just,  and  true ;  and  therefore  God  takes 
us  for  what  we  are,  and  will  do  so  to  all  eternity ;  and 
you  will  find  it  so,  my  dearest  friends.  In  spite  of 
all  doctrines  which  men  have  invented,  and  then  pre- 
tended to  find  in  the  Bible,  to  drug  men's  consciences, 
and  confuse  God's  clear  light  in  their  hearts,  you  will 
find,  now  and  for  ever,  that  if  you  do  right  you  will 
be  happy  even  in  the  midst  of  sorrow ;  if  you  do  wrong, 
you  will  be  miserable  even  in  the  midst  of  pleasure. 
Oh  believe  this,  my  dear  friends,  and  do  not  rashly 
count  on  some  sudden  magical  change  happening  to 
you  as  soon  as  you  die  to  make  you  fit  for  heaven. 
There  is  not  one  word  in  the  Bible  which  gives  us 
reason  to  suppose  that  we  shall  not  be  in  the  next  world 
the  same  persons  which  we  have  made  ourselves  in  this 
world.  If  we  are  unjust  here,  we  shall,  for  aught  we 
know,  or  can  know,  try  to  be  unjust  there ;  if  we  be 
filthy  here,  we  shall  be  so  there;  if  we  be  proud  here, 
we  shall  be  so  there ;  if  we  be  selfish  here,  we  shall  be 
so  there.  What  we  sow  here,  we  shall  reap  there.  And 
it  is  good  for  us  to  know  this,  and  face  this.  Anything 
is  good  for  us,  however  unpleasant  it  may  be,  which 
drives  us  from  the  only  real  misery,  which  is  sin  and 
selfishness,  to  the  only  true  happiness,  which  is  the 
everlasting  life  of  Christ ;  a  pure,  loving,  just,  generous, 
useful  life  of  goodness,  which  is  the  righteousness  of 
Christ,  and  the  glory  of  Christ,  and  which  will  be  our 
righteousness  and  our  glory  also  for  ever:  but  only  if 


io4  TRUE  REPENTANCE. 


we  live  it ;  only  if  we  be  useful  as  Christ  was,  generous 
as  Christ  was,  just  as  Christ  was,  gentle  as  Christ  was, 
pure  as  Christ  was,  loving  as  Christ  was,  and  so  put 
on  Christ,  not  in  name  and  in  word,  but  in  spirit  and 
in  truth,  that  having  worn  Christ's  likeness  in  this  world, 
we  may  share  his  victory  over  all  evil  in  the  life  to 
come. 


SERMON  XIII. 


THE  LETTER  AND  THE  SPIRIT. 

(Twelfth  Sunday  after  Trinity.) 

ii  Cor.  iii.  6. 

God,  who  hath  made  us  able  ministers  of  the  New  Testament ;  not  of 
the  letter,  but  of  the  Spirit :  for  the  letter  killeth,  but  the  Spirit 
giveth  life. 

"1 1  7"HEN  we  look  at  the  Collect,  Epistle,  and  Gospel 
for  to-day  one  after  the  other,  we  do  not  see, 
perhaps,  what  they  have  to  do  with  each  other.  But 
they  have  to  do  with  each  other.  They  agree  with  each 
other.  They  explain  each  other.  They  all  three  tell  us 
what  God  is  like,  and  what  we  are  to  believe  about  God, 
and  why  we  are  to  have  faith  in  God. 

The  Collect  tells  of  a  God  who  is  more  ready  to  hear 
than  we  are  to  pray;  and  is  'wont  to  give' — that  is, 
usually,  and  as  a  matter  of  course,  every  day  and  all  day 
long,  gives  us — '  more  than  either  we  desire  or  deserve 
of  a  God  who  gives  and  forgives,  abundant  in  mercy. 
It  bids  us,  when  we  pray  to  God,  remember  that  we  are 
praying  to  a  perfectly  bountiful,  perfectly  generous  God. 

Some  people  worship  quite  a  different  God  to  that. 
They  fancy  that  God  is  hard ;  that  he  sits  judging  each 
man  by  the  letter  of  the  law;  watching  and  marking 
down  every  little  fault  which  they  commit ;  extreme  to 


106  THE  LETTER  AND  THE  SPIRIT.  [SERM. 


mark  what  is  done  amiss ;  and  that  in  the  very  face  of 
Scripture,  which  says  that  God  is  not  extreme  to  mark 
what  is  done  amiss ;  for  if  he  were,  who  could  abide  it? 

Their  notion  of  God  is,  that  he  is  very  like  them- 
selves ;  proud,  grudging,  hard  to  be  entreated,  expecting 
everything  from  men,  but  not  willing  to  give  without  a 
great  deal  of  continued  asking  and  begging,  and  outward 
reverence,  and  scrupulous  fear  lest  he  should  be  offended 
unexpectedly  at  the  least  mistake ;  and  they  fancy,  like 
the  heathen,  that  they  shall  be  heard  for  their  much 
speaking.  They  forget  altogether  that  God  is  their 
Father,  and  knows  what  they  need  before  they  ask,  and 
their  ignorance  in  asking,  and  has  (as  any  father  fit  to  be 
called  a  father  would  have)  compassion  on  their  in- 
firmities. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  this  lip-service,  and  super 
stitious  devoutness,  creeping  in  now-a-days;  a  spirit  of 
bondage  unto  fear.  St.  Paul  warns  us  against  it,  and 
calls  it  will-worship,  and  voluntary  humility.  And  I  tell 
you  of  it,  that  it  is  not  Christian  at  all,  but  heathen ;  and 
I  say  to  you,  as  St.  Paul  bids  me  say,  God,  who  made 
the  world,  and  all  therein,  seeing  that  he  is  Lord  of 
heaven  and  earth,  dwelleth  not  in  temples  made  with 
hands ;  neither  is  worshipped  with  men's  hands,  as  though 
he  needed  anything,  seeing  that  he  giveth  to  all  life  and 
breath,  and  all  things.  For  in  him  we  live  and  move, 
and  have  our  being,  and  are  the  offspring — the  children 
— of  God. 

Away,  then,  with  this  miserable  spirit  of  bondage  and 
fear,  which  insults  that  good  God  which  it  pretends  to 


XIII.] 


THE  LETTER  AND  THE  SPIRIT. 


107 


honour ;  and  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  not  with  slavish 
crouchings  and  cringings,  copied  from  the  old  heathen* 
let  us  worship  The  Father. 

But  this  leads  us  to  the  Epistle. 

St.  Paul  tells  us  how  it  is  that  God  is  wont  to  give  us 
more  than  we  either  desire  or  deserve :  because  he  is  the 
Lord  and  Giver  of  life,  in  whom  all  created  things  live 
and  move  and  have  their  being.  Therefore  in  the  Epistle 
he  tells  us  of  a  Spirit  which  gives  life. 

But  some  may  ask,  'What  life?' 

The  Gospel  answers  that,  and  says,  '  All  life.' 

It  tells  us  that  our  Lord  Christ  cared  not  merely  for 
the  life  of  men's  souls,  but  for  the  life  of  their  bodies. 
That  wherever  he  went  he  brought  with  him,  not  merely 
health  for  men's  souls  by  his  teaching,  but  health  for 
their. bodies  by  his  miracles.  That  when  he  saw  a  man 
who  was  deaf  and  had  an  impediment  in  his  speech,  he 
sighed  over  him  in  compassion ;  and  did  not  think  it 
beneath  him  to  cure  that  poor  man  of  his  infirmity, 
though  it  was  no  such  very  great  one. 

For  he  wished  to  show  men  that  his  heavenly  Father 
cared  for  them  altogether,  body  as  well  as  soul ;  that  all 
health  and  strength  whatsoever  came  from  him. 

When  we  hear,  therefore,  of  &e?  Spirit  giving  life, 
we  are  not  to  fancy  that  means  only  some  high  devout 
spiritual  life,  or  that  God's  Spirit  has  to  do  only  with 
a  few  elect  saints.  That  may  be  a  very  pleasant  fancy 
for  those  who  believe  themselves  to  be  the  elect  saints ; 
but  the  message  of  the  Gospel  is  far  wider  and  deeper 
than  that,  or  any  other  of  vain  man's  narrow  notions 


to8  THE  LETTER  AND  THE  SPIRIT.  [SERM. 


It  tells  us  that  life — all  life  which  we  can  see ;  all  health, 
strength,  beauty,  order,  use,  power  of  doing  good  work 
in  God's  earthly  world,  come  from  the  Spirit  of  God, 
just  as  much  as  the  spiritual  life  which  we  cannot  see — 
goodness,  amiableness,  purity,  justice,  virtue,  power  of 
doing  work  in  God's  heavenly  world.  This  latter  is  the 
higher  life :  and  the  former  the  lower,  though  good  and 
necessary  in  its  place  :  but  the  lower,  as  well  as  the 
higher,  is  life ;  and  comes  from  the  Spirit  of  God,  who 
gives  life  and  breath  to  all  things. 

And  now,  perhaps,  we  may  see  what  St.  Paul  meant, 
by  his  being  a  minister  '  not  of  the  letter,  but  of  the 
Spirit ;  for  the  letter  killeth,  but  the  Spirit  giveth  life.' 

Do  you  not  see  yet,  my  friends?  Then  I  will  tell 
you. 

If  I  were  to  get  up  in  this  pulpit,  and  preach  the 
terrors  of  the  law,  and  the  wrath  of  God,  and  hell  fire : 
if  I  tried  to  bind  heavy  burdens  on  you,  and  grievous  to 
be  borne,  crying — You  must  do  this,  you  must  feel  that, 
you  must  believe  the  other — while  I  having  fewer  tempt- 
ations and  more  education  than  you,  touched  not  those 
burdens  with  one  of  my  fingers ;  if  I  tried  to  make  out 
as  many  sins  as  I  could  against  you,  crying  continually, 
this  was  wrong,  and  that  was  wrong,  making  you  believe 
that  God  is  always  on  the  watch  to  catch  you  tripping, 
and  telling  you  that  the  least  of  your  sins  deserved  end- 
less torment — things  which  neither  I  nor  any  man  can 
find  in  the  Bible,  nor  in  common  justice,  nor  common 
humanity,  nor  elsewhere,  save  in  the  lying  mouth  of  the 
great  devil  himself; — or  if  I  put  into  your  hands  books 


XIII.]         THE  LETTER  AND  THE  SPIRIT.  109 


of  self-examination  (as  they  are  called)  full  of  long  lists 
of  sins,  frightening  poor  innocents,  and  defiling  their 
thoughts  and  consciences,  and  making  the  heart  of  the 
righteous  sad,  whom  God  has  not  made  sad ; — if  I,  in 
plain  English,  had  my  mouth  full  of  cursing  and  bitter- 
ness, threatening  and  fault-finding,  and  distrustful,  and 
disrespectful,  and  insolent  language  about  you  my  parish- 
ioners :  why  then  I  might  fancy  myself  a  Christian  priest, 
and  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and  a  very  able,  and 
eloquent,  and  earnest  one ;  and  might  perhaps  gain  for 
myself  the  credit  of  being  a  '  searching  preacher,'  by 
speaking  evil  of  people  who  are  most  of  them  as  good 
and  better  than  I,  and  by  taking  a  low,  mean,  false  view 
of  that  human  nature  which  God  made  in  his  own  image, 
and  Christ  justified  in  his  own  man's  flesh,  and  soul,  and 
spirit ;  but  instead  of  being  an  able  minister  of  the  New 
Covenant,  or  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  I  should  be  no  such 
man,  but  the  very  opposite. 

No.  I  should  be  one  of  those  of  whom  the  Psalmist 
says,  'Their  mouths  are  full  of  cursing  and  bitterness' — 
and  also,  '  Their  feet  are  swift  to  shed  blood.' 

To  shed  blood ;  to  kill  with  the  letter  which  killeth ; 
and  your  blood,  if  I  did  succeed  in  killing  your  souls, 
would  be  upon  my  foolish  head. 

For  such  preaching  as  that  does  kill. 

It  kills  three  things. 

1.  It  kills  the  Gospel.  It  turns  the  good  news  of 
God  into  the  very  worst  news  possible,  and  the  ministra- 
tion of  righteousness  into  the  ministration  of  condemna- 
tion. 


I  10 


THE  LETTER  AND  THE  SPIRIT. 


[SERM. 


2.  It  kills  the  souls  of  the  congregation — or  would 
kill  them,  if  God's  wisdom  and  love  were  not  stronger 
than  his  minister's  folly  and  hardness.  For  it  kills  in 
them  self-respect  and  hope,  and  makes  them  say  to  them- 
selves, 'God  has  made  me  bad,  and  bad  I  must  be. 
Let  me  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  I  die.  God  requires 
all  this  of  me,  and  I  cannot  do  it.  I  shall  not  try  to  do 
it.  I  shall  take  my  chance  of  being  saved  at  last,  I  know 
not  how.'  It  frightens  people  away  from  church,  from 
religion,  from  the  very  thought  of  God.  It  sets  people 
on  spying  out  their  neighbours'  faults,  on  judging  and 
condemning,  on  fancying  themselves  righteous  and  de- 
spising others;  and  so  kills  in  them  faith,  hope,  and 
charity,  which  are  the  very  life  of  their  spirits. 

3.  And  by  a  just  judgment,  it  kills  the  soul  of  the 
preacher  also.  It  makes  him  forget  who  he  is,  what  God 
has  set  him  to  do;  and  at  last,  even  who  God  is.  It 
makes  him  fancy  that  he  is  doing  God's  work,  while  he 
is  simply  doing  the  work  of  the  devil,  the  slanderer  and 
accuser  of  the  brethren ;  judging  and  condemning  his 
congregation,  when  God  has  said,  'Judge  not  and  ye 
shall  not  be  judged,  condemn  not  and  ye  shall  not  be 
condemned.'  It  makes  him  at  last  like  the  false  God 
whom  he  has  been  preaching  (for  every  man  at  last 
copies  the  God  in  whom  he  believes),  dark  and  deceiving, 
proud  and  cruel ; — and  may  the  Lord  have  mercy  upon 
his  soul ! 

But  I  will  tell  you  how  I  can  be  an  able  minister  of 
the  New  Testament,  and  of  the  Spirit  who  gives  life. 
If  I  say  to  you — and  I  do  say  it  now,  and  will  say  it 


XIII.]  THE  LETTER  AND  THE  SPIRIT.  Ill 


as  long  as  I  am  here — Trust  God,  because  God  is  good  ; 
obey  God,  because  God  is  good. 

I  preach  to  you  the  good  God  of  the  Collect,  even 
your  heavenly  Father;  who  needs  not  be  won  over  or 
appeased  by  anything  which  you  can  do,  for  he  loves  you 
already  for  the  sake  of  his  dear  Son,  whose  members  you 
are.  He  will  not  hear  you  the  more  for  your  much 
speaking,  for  he  knows  your  necessities  before  you  ask, 
and  your  ignorance  in  asking.  He  will  not  judge  you 
according  to  the  letter  of  Moses'  law,  or  any  other  law 
whatsoever,  but  according  to  the  spirit  of  your  longings 
and  struggles  after  what  is  right.  He  will  not  be  extreme 
to  mark  what  you  do  amiss,  but  will  help  you  to  mend  it, 
if  you  desire  to  mend ;  setting  you  straight  when  you  go 
wrong,  and  helping  you  up  when  you  fall,  if  only  your 
spirit  is  struggling  after  what  is  right. 

This  all-good  heavenly  Father  I  preach  to  you,  and  I 
say  to  you,  Trust  him. 

I  preach  to  you  a  Spirit  who  is  the  Lord  and  Giver  of 
life ;  who  hates  death,  and  therefore  wills  not  that  you 
should  die ;  who  has  given  you  all  the  life  you  have,  all 
health  and  strength  of  body,  all  wit  and  power  of  mind, 
all  right,  pure,  loving,  noble  feelings  of  heart  and  spirit, 
and  who  is  both  able  and  willing  to  keep  them  alive  and 
healthy  in  you  for  ever. 

This  all-good  Spirit  of  life  I  preach  to  you ;  and  I  say 
to  you,  Trust  liim. 

I  preach  to  you  a  Son  of  God,  who  is  the  likeness  of 
his  Father's  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  person ; 
in  order  that  by  seeing  him  and  how  good  he  is,  you 


I  I  2 


THE  LETTER  AND  THE  SPIRIT.  [SERM. 


may  see  your  heavenly  Father,  and  how  good  he  is  like- 
wise ;  a  Son  of  God  who  is  your  Saviour  and  your  Judge ; 
who  judges  you  that  he  may  save  you,  and  saves  you  by 
iudging  you ;  who  has  all  power  given  to  him  in  heaven 
and  earth,  and  declares  that  almighty  power  most  chiefly 
by  showing  mercy  and  pity;  who,  when  he  was  upon 
earth,  made  the  deaf  to  hear,  the  lame  to  walk,  the  blind 
to  see ;  who  ate  and  drank  with  publicans  and  sinners, 
and  was  the  friend  of  all  mankind ;  a  Son  of  God  who 
has  declared  everlasting  war  against  disease,  ignorance, 
sin,  death,  and  all  which  makes  men  miserable.  Those 
are  his  enemies;  and  he  reigns,  and  will  reign,  till  he 
has  put  all  enemies  under  his  feet,  and  there  is  nothing 
left  in  God's  universe  but  order  and  usefulness,  health 
and  beauty,  knowledge  and  virtue,  in  the  day  when  God 
shall  be  all  in  all. 

This  all-good  Son  of  God  I  preach  to  you,  and  I  say 
to  you,  Trust  him,  and  obey  him.  Obey  him,  not  lest 
he  should  become  angry  and  harm  you,  like  the  false 
gods  of  the  heathen,  but  because  his  commandments  are 
life ;  because  he  has  made  them  for  your  good. 

Oh  !  when  will  people  understand  that — that  God  has 
not  made  laws  out  of  any  arbitrariness,  but  for  our  good? 
— That  his  commandments  are  Life  ?  David  of  old 
knew  as  much  as  that.  Why  do  not  we  know  more, 
instead  of  knowing,  most  of  us,  much  less  ?  It  is  simple 
enough,  if  you  will  but  look  at  it  with  simple  minds. 
God  has  made  us  ;  and  if  he  had  not  loved  us,  he  would 
not  have  made  us  at  all.  God  has  sent  us  into  the 
world;  and  if  he  had  not  loved  us,  he  would  not  have 


XIII.] 


THE  LETTER  AND  THE  SPIRIT. 


"3 


sent  us  into  the  world  at  all.  In  him  we  live,  and  move, 
and  have  our  being,  and  are  the  offspring  and  children  of 
God.  And  therefore  God  alone  knows  what  is  good  for 
us ;  what  is  the  good  life,  the  wholesome,  the  safe,  the 
right,  the  everlasting  life  for  us.  And  he  sends  his  Son 
to  tell  us — This  is  the  right  life;  a  life  like  Christ's; 
a  life  according  to  God's  Spirit ;  and  if  you  do  not  live 
that  life  you  will  die,  not  only  body  but  soul  also,  because 
you  are  not  living  the  life  which  God  meant  for  you 
when  he  made  you.  Just  as  if  you  eat  the  wrong  food, 
yon  will  kill  your  bodies ;  so  if  you  think  the  wrong 
thoughts,  and  feel  the  wrong  feelings,  and  therefore  do 
the  wrong  things,  you  will  kill  your  own  souls.  God 
will  not  kill  you  ;  you  will  kill  yourselves.  God  grudges 
you  nothing.  God  does  not  wish  to  hurt  you,  wish  to 
punish  you.  He  wishes  you  to  live  and  be  happy;  to 
live  for  ever,  and  be  happy  for  ever.  But  as  your  body 
cannot  live  unless  it  be  healthy,  so  your  soul  cannot  live 
unless  it  be  healthy.  And  it  cannot  be  healthy  unless  it 
live  the  right  life.  And  it  cannot  live  the  right  life  with- 
out the  right  spirit.  And  the  only  right  spirit  is  the 
Spirit  of  God  himself,  the  Spirit  of  your  Father  in  heaven, 
who  will  make  you,  as  children  should  be,  like  your 
Father. 

But  that  Spirit  is  not  far  from  any  of  you.  In  him 
you  live,  and  move,  and  have  your  being  already.  Were 
he  to  leave  you  for  a  moment  you  would  die,  and  be 
turned  again  to  your  dust.  From  him  comes  all  the 
good  of  body  and  soul  which  you  have  already.  Trust 
him  for  more.    Ask  him  for  more.    Go  boldly  to  the 

I 


114  THE  LETTER  AND  THE  SPIRIT.  [SERM. 


throne  of  his  grace,  remembering  that  it  is  a  throne  of 
grace,  of  kindness,  tenderness,  patience,  bountiful  love, 
and  wealth  without  end.  Do  not  think  that  he  is  hard 
of  hearing,  or  hard  of  giving.  How  can  he  be  ?  For  he 
is  the  Spirit  of  the  all-generous  Father  and  of  the  all- 
generous  Son,  and  has  given,  and  gives  now;  and  de- 
lights to  give,  and  delights  to  be  asked.  He  is  the 
charity  of  God ;  the  boundless  love  by  which  all  things 
consist  j  and,  like  all  love,  becomes  more  rich  by  spend- 
ing, and  glorifies  himself  by  giving  himself  away;  and 
has  sworn  by  himself — that  is,  by  his  own  eternal  ahd 
necessary  character,  which  he  cannot  alter  or  unmake — 
'This  is  the  new  covenant  which  I  will  make  with  my 
people.  I  will  write  my  laws  in  their  hearts,  and  in  their 
minds  will  I  write  them ;  and  I  will  dwell  with  them,  and 
be  their  God.' 

Oh,  my  friends,  take  these  words  to  yourselves ;  and 
trust  in  that  good  Father  in  heaven,  whose  love  sent  you 
into  this  world,  and  gave  you  the  priceless  blessing  of 
life ;  whose  love  sent  his  Son  to  show  you  the  pattern  of 
life,  and  to  redeem  you  freely  from  all  your  sins ;  whose 
love  sends  his  Spirit  to  give  you  the  power  of  leading  the 
everlasting  life,  and  will  raise  you  up  again,  body  and 
soul,  to  that  same  everlasting  life  after  death.  Trust 
him,  for  he  is  your  Father.  Whatever  else  he  is,  he  is 
that  He  has  bid  you  call  him  that,  and  he  will  hear 
you.  If  you  forget  that  he  is  your  Father,  you  forget 
him,  and  worship  a  false  God  of  your  own  invention. 
And  whenever  you  doubt ;  whenever  the  devil,  or  ignorant 
preachers,  or  superstitious  books,  make  you  afraid,  and 


THE  LETTER  AND  THE  SPIRIT. 


tempt  yt>u  to  fancy  that  God  hates  you,  and  watches  to 
catch  you  tripping,  take  refuge  in  that  blessed  name,  and 
say,  '  Satan,  I  defy  thee;  for  the  Almighty  God  of  heaven 
is  my  Father.' 


SERMON  XIV. 


(  Whitsunday.) 
HEROES  AND  HEROINES. 
Psalm  xxxii.  8. 

I  will  instruct  thee  and  teach  thee  in  the  way  which  thou  shalt  go : 
I  will  guide  thee  with  mine  eye. 

'""PHIS  is  God's  promise ;  which  he  fulfilled  at  sundry 
times  and  in  different  manners  to  all  the  men  of 
the  old  world  who  trusted  in  him.  He  informed  them ; 
that  is,  he  put  them  into  right  form,  right  shape,  right 
character,  and  made  them  the  men  which  they  were 
meant  to  be.  He  taught  them  in  the  way  in  which  they 
ought  to  go.  He  guided  them  where  they  could  not 
guide  themselves. 

But  God  fulfilled  this  promise  utterly  and  completely 
on  the  first  Whitsuntide,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  came 
down  on  the  apostles. 

That  was  an  extraordinary  and  special  gift;  because 
the  apostles  had  to  do  an  extraordinary  and  special 
work.  They  had  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  all  nations, 
and  therefore  they  wanted  tongues  with  which  to  speak 
to  all  nations ;  at  least  to  those  of  their  countrymen  who 
came  from  foreign  parts,  and  spoke  foreign  tongues,  that 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES. 


"7 


they  might  carry  home  the  good  news  of  Christ  into  all 
lands.  And  they  wanted  tongues  of  fire,  too,  to  set 
their  own  hearts  on  fire  with  divine  zeal  and  earnestness, 
and  to  set  on  fire  the  hearts  of  those  who  heard  them. 

But  that  was  an  extraordinary  gift.  There  was  never 
anything  like  it  before ;  nor  has  been,  as  far  as  we  know, 
since ;  because  it  has  not  been  needed. 

It  is  enough  for  us  to  know,  that  the  apostles  had 
what  they  needed.  God  called  and  sent  them  to  do 
a  great  work :  and  therefore,  being  just  and  merciful, 
he  gave  them  the  power  which  was  wanted  for  that  great 
work. 

But  if  that  is  a  special  case ;  if  there  has  been  nothing 
like  it  since,  what  has  Whitsuntide  to  do  with  us  ?  We 
need  no  tongues  of  fire,  and  we  shall  have  none  on  this 
Whitsunday  or  any  Whitsunday.  Has  Whitsunday  then 
no  blessing  for  us?  Do  we  get  nothing  by  it?  God 
forbid,  my  friends. 

We  get  what  the  apostles  got,  and  neither  more  nor 
less ;  though  not  in  the  same  shape  as  they  did. 

God  called  them  to  do  a  work  :  God  calls  us,  each  of 
us,  to  do  some  work. 

God  gave  them  the  Holy  Spirit  to  make  them  able  to 
do  their  work.  God  gives  us  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  make 
us  able  to  do  our  work,  whatsoever  that  may  be. 

As  their  day,  so  their  strength  was  :  as  our  day  is,  so 
our  strength  shall  be. 

For  instance. — 

How  often  one  sees  a  person — a  woman,  say — easy 
and  comfortable,  enjoying  life,  and  taking  little  trouble 


nS 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES.  [SERM. 


about  anything,  because  she  has  no  need.  And  when 
one  looks  at  such  a  woman,  one  is  apt  to  say  hastily  in 
one's  heart,  'Ah,  she  does  not  know  what  sorrow  is — 
and  well  for  her  she  does  not ;  for  she  would  make  but 
a  poor  fight  if  trouble  came  on  her;  she  would  make 
but  a  poor  nurse  if  she  had  to  sit  months  by  a  sick  bed. 
She  would  become  down-hearted,  and  peevish,  and  use- 
less. There  is  no  strength  in  her  to  stand  in  the  evil 
day.' 

And  perhaps  that  woman  would  say  so  of  herself. 
She  might  be  painfully  afraid  of  the  thought  of  affliction ; 
she  might  shrink  from  the  notion  of  having  to  nurse  any 
one ;  from  having  to  give  up  her  own  pleasure  and  ease 
for  the  sake  of  others ;  and  she  would  say  of  herself,  as 
you  say  of  her,  '  What  would  become  of  me  if  sorrow 
came  1    I  have  no  strength  to  stand  in  the  evil  day.' 

Yes,  my  friends,  and  you  say  true,  and  she  says  true. 
And  yet  not  true  either.  She  has  no  strength  to  stand : 
but  she  will  stand  nevertheless,  for  God  is  able  to  make 
her  stand.  As  her  day,  so  her  strength  shall  be.  A  day 
of  suffering,  anxiety,  weariness,  all  but  despair  may  come 
to  her.  But  in  that  day  she  shall  be  baptized  with  the 
Holy  Spirit  and  with  fire;  and  then  you  shall  be  as- 
tonished, and  she  shall  be  astonished,  at  what  she  can  do, 
and  what  she  can  endure ;  because  God's  Spirit  will  give 
her  a  right  judgment  in  all  things,  and  enable  her,  even 
in  the  midst  of  her  sorrow,  to  rejoice  in  his  holy  comfort. 
And  people  will  call  her — those  at  least  who  know  her — 
a  '  heroine.'  And  they  speak  truly  and  well,  and  give  her 
the  right  and  true  name.    Why,  I  will  tell  you  presendy. 


XIV.] 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES. 


19 


Or  how  often  it  happens  to  a  man  to  be  thrown  into 
circumstances  which  he  never  expected.  An  officer, 
perhaps,  in  war  time  in  a  foreign  land — in  India  now. 
He  has  a  work  to  do :  a  heavy,  dangerous,  difficult, 
almost  hopeless  work.  He  does  not  like  it.  He  is 
afraid  of  it.  He  wishes  himself  anywhere  but  where 
he  is.  He  has  little  or  no  hope  of  succeeding;  and 
if  he  fails,  he  fears  that  he  will  be  blamed,  misunderstood, 
slandered.  But  he  feels  he  must  go  through  with  it.  He 
cannot  turn  back ;  he  cannot  escape.  As  the  saying  is, 
the  bull  is  brought  to  the  stake,  and  he  must  bide  the 
baiting. 

At  first,  perhaps,  he  tries  to  buoy  himself  up.  He 
begins  his  work  in  a  little  pride  and  self-conceit,  and 
notion  of  his  own  courage  and  cunning.  He  tries  to 
fancy  himself  strong  enough  for  anything.  He  feeds 
himself  up  with  the  thought  of  what  people  will  say  of 
him ;  the  hope  of  gaining  honour  and  praise  :  and  that  is 
not  altogether  a  wrong  feeling — God  forbid  ! 

But  the  further  the  man  gets  into  his  work,  the  more 
difficult  it  grows,  and  the  more  hopeless  he  grows.  He 
finds  himself  weak,  when  he  expected  to  be  strong; 
puzzled  when  he  thought  himself  cunning.  He  is  not 
sure  whether  he  is  doing  right.  He  is  afraid  of  respon- 
sibility. It  is  a  heavy  burden  on  him,  too  heavy  to  bear. 
His  own  honour  and  good  name  may  depend  upon 
a  single  word  which  he  speaks.  The  comfort,  the 
fortune,  the  lives  of  human  beings  may  depend  on  his 
making  up  his  mind  at  an  hour's  notice  to  do  exactly 
the  right  thing  at  the  right  time.    People  round  him 


l=o  HEROES  AND  HEROINES.  [SERM. 


may  be  mistaking  him,  slandering  him,  plotting  against 
him,  rebelling  against  him,  even  while  he  is  trying  to  do 
them  all  the  good  he  can.  Little  comfort  does  he  get 
then  from  the  thought  of  what  people  at  home  may  say 
of  him.  He  is  set  in  the  snare,  and  he  cannot  find  his 
way  out  He  is  at  his  own  wits'  end ;  and  from  whence 
shall  he  get  fresh  wits?  Who  will  give  him  a  right 
judgment  in  all  things?  Who  will  give  him  a  holy 
comfort  in  which  he  can  rejoice? — a  comfort  which  will 
make  him  cheerful,  because  he  knows  it  is  a  right 
comfort,  and  that  he  is  doing  right?  His  heart  is 
sinking  within  him,  getting  chill  and  cold  with  despair. 
Who  will  put  fresh  fire  and  spirit  into  it  ? 

God  will.  When  he  has  learnt  how  weak  he  is  in 
himself,  how  stupid  he  is  in  himself; — ay,  bitter  as  it 
is  to  a  brave  man  to  have  to  confess  it,  how  cowardly 
he  is  in  himself — then,  when  he  has  learnt  the  golden 
lesson,  God  will  baptize  him  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
with  fire. 

A  time  will  come  to  that  man,  when,  finding  no  help 
in  himself,  no  help  in  man,  he  will  go  for  help  to  God.  • 

Old  words  which  he  learnt  at  his  mother's  knee  come 
back  to  him — old  words  that  he  almost  forgot,  perhaps, 
in  the  strength  and  gaiety  of  his  youth  and  prosperity. 
And  he  prays.  He  prays  clumsily  enough,  perhaps. 
He  is  not  accustomed  to  praying ;  and  he  hardly  knows 
what  to  ask  for,  or  how  to  ask  for  it.  Be  it  so.  In  that 
he  is  not  so  very  much  worse  off  than  others.  What  did 
St.  Paul  say,  even  of  himself?  'We  know  not  how  to 
ask  for  anything  as  we  ought:  but  the  Spirit  maketh 


XIV.] 


HEROES  AND  HEROINES. 


intercession  for  us  with  groanings  that  cannot  be  uttered' 
— too  deep  for  words.  Yes,  in  every  honest  heart  there 
are  longings  too  deep  for  words.  A  man  knows  he 
wants  something :  but  knows  not  what  he  wants.  He 
cannot  find  the  right  words  to  say  to  God.  Let  him 
take  comfort.  What  he  does  not  know,  the  Holy  Spirit 
of  Whitsuntide — the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ — does  know. 
Christ  knows  what  we  want,  and  offers  our  clumsy 
prayers  up  to  our  heavenly  Father,  not  in  the  shape 
in  which  we  put  them,  but  as  they  ought  to  be,  as  we 
should  like  them  to  be;  and  our  Father  hears  them. 

Yes.  Our  Father  hears  the  man  who  cries  to  him, 
however  clumsily,  for  light  and  strength  to  do  his  duty. 
So  it  is ;  so  it  has  been  always ;  so  it  will  be  to  the  end. 
And  then  as  the  man's  day,  so  his  strength  will  be.  He 
may  be  utterly  puzzled,  utterly  down-hearted,  utterly 
hopeless :  but  the  day  comes  to  him  in  which  he  is 
baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire.  He  begins 
*  to  have  a  right  judgment ;  to  see  clearly  what  he  ought 
to  do,  and  how  to  do  it.  He  grows  more  shrewd,  more 
prompt,  more  steady  than  he  ever  has  been  before. 
And  there  comes  a  fire  into  his  heart,  such  as  there 
never  was  before ;  a  spirit  and  a  determination  which 
nothing  can  daunt  or  break,  which  makes  him  bold, 
cheerful,  earnest,  in  the  face  of  the  anxiety  and  danger 
which  would  have,  at  any  other  time,  broken  his  heart. 
The  man  is  lifted  up  above  himself,  and  carried  on 
through  his  work,  he  hardly  knows  how,  till  he  succeeds 
nobly,  or  if  he  fails,  fails  nobly;  and  be  the  end  as 
it  may,  he  gets  the  work  done  which  God  has  given  him 
to  do. 


122  HEROES  AND  HEROINES.  [SERM. 


And  then  when  he  looks  back,  he  is  astonished  at 
himself.  He  wonders  how  he  could  dare  so  much; 
wonders  how  he  could  endure  so  much ;  wonders  how 
the  right  thought  came  into  his  head  at  the  right  moment. 
He  hardly  knows  himself  again.  It  seems  to  him,  when 
he  thinks  over  it  all,  like  a  grand  and  awful  dream.  And 
the  world  is  astonished  at  him  likewise.  They  cry,  'Who 
would  have  thought  there  was  so  much  in  this  man? 
who  would  have  expected  such  things  of  him?'  And 
they  call  him  a  hero — and  so  he  is. 

Yes,  the  world  is  right,  more  right  than  it  thinks  in 
both  sayings.  Who  would  have  expected  there  was  so 
much  in  the  man  ?  For  there  was  not  so  much  in  him, 
till  God  put  it  there. 

And  again  they  are  right,  too;  more  right  than 
they  think  in  calling  that  man  a  hero,  or  that  woman 
a  heroine. 

For  what  is  the  old  meaning,  the  true  meaning  of  a 
hero  or  a  heroine  ? 

It  meant — and  ought  to  mean — one  who  is  a  son 
or  a  daughter  of  God,  and  whom  God  informs  and 
strengthens,  and  sends  out  to  do  noble  work,  teaching 
them  the  way  wherein  they  should  go.  That  was  the 
right  meaning  of  a  hero  and  of  a  heroine  even  among 
the  old  heathens.  Let  it  mean  the  same  among  us 
Christians,  when  we  talk  of  a  hero  ;  and  let  us  give  God 
the  glory,  and  say — There  is  a  man  who  has  entered, 
even  if  it  be  but  for  one  day's  danger  and  trial,  into  the 
blessings  of  Whitsuntide  and  the  power  of  God's  Spirit ; 
a  man  whom  God  has  informed  and  taught  in  the  way 


XIV.]  HEROES  AND  HEROINES.  12  j 


wherein  he  should  go.  May  that  same  God  give  him 
grace  to  abide  herein  all  the  days  of  his  life  ! 

Yes,  my  friends,  may  God  give  us  all  grace  to  under, 
stand  Whitsuntide,  and  feed  on  the  blessings  of  Whitsun- 
tide; not  merely  once  in  a  way,  in  some  great  sorrow, 
great  danger,  great  struggle,  great  striving  point  of  our 
lives ;  but  every  day  and  all  day  long,  and  to  rejoice  in 
the  power  of  his  Spirit,  till  it  becomes  to  us — would  that 
it  could  to-day  become  to  us ; — like  the  air  we  breathe ; 
till  having  got  our  life's  work  done,  if  not  done  perfectly, 
yet  still  done,  we  may  go  hence  to  receive  the  due 
reward  of  our  deeds. 


SERMON  XV. 


THE  MEASURE  OF  THE  CROSS. 


Ephesians  iii.  18,  19. 


That  ye  may  be  able  to  comprehend  with  all  saints,  what  is  the 
breadth  and  length  and  depth  and  height,  and  to  know  the  love 
of  Christ,  which  passeth  knowledge. 


HESE  words  are  very  deep,  and  difficult  to  under- 


stand ;  for  St.  Paul  does  not  tell  us  exactly  of  what 
he  is  speaking.  He  does  not  say  what  it  is,  the  breadth 
and  length,  and  depth,  and  height  of  which  we  are  to 
comprehend  and  take  in.  Only  he  tells  us  afterwards 
what  will  come  of  our  taking  it  in ;  we  shall  know  the 
love  of  Christ. 

And  therefore  many  great  fathers  and  divines,  whose 
names  there  is  no  need  for  me  to  tell  you,  but  whose 
opinions  we  must  always  respect,  have  said  that  what 
St.  Paul  is  speaking  of  is,  the  Cross  of  Christ. 

Of  course  they  do  not  mean  the  wood  of  which  the 
actual  cross  was  made.  They  mean  the  thing  of  which 
the  cross  was  a  sign  and  token. 

Now  of  what  is  the  cross  a  token  ? 

Of  the  love  of  Christ,  which  is  the  love  of  God. 

But  of  what  kind  of  love  ? 

Not  the  love  which  is  satisfied  with  sitting  still  and 
enjoying  itself,  as  long  as  nothing  puts  it  out,  and  turns 


THE  MEASURE  OF  THE  CROSS. 


its  love  to  anger — what  we  call  mere  good  nature  and 
good  temper ;  not  that,  not  that,  my  friends :  but  love 
which  will  dare,  and  do,  and  yearn,  and  mourn;  love 
which  cannot  rest ;  love  which  sacrifices  itself ;  love 
which  will  suffer,  love  which  will  die,  for  what  it  loves  j — 
such  love  as  a  father  has,  who  perishes  himself  to  save 
his  drowning  child. 

Now  the  cross  of  Christ  is  a  token  to  us,  that  God's 
love  to  us  is  like  that :  a  love  which  will  dare  anything, 
and  suffer  anything,  for  the  sake  of  saving  sinful  man. 

And  therefore  it  is,  that  from  the  earliest  times  the 
cross  has  been  the  special  sign  of  Christians.  We  keep 
it  up  still,  when  we  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  on 
children's  foreheads  in  baptism :  but  we  have  given  up 
using  the  sign  of  the  cross  commonly,  because  it  was 
perverted,  in  old  times,  into  a  superstitious  charm.  Men 
worshipped  the  cross  like  an  idol,  or  bits  of  wood  which 
they  fancied  were  pieces  of  the  actual  cross,  while  they 
were  forgetting  what  the  cross  meant.  So  the  use  of  the 
cross  fell  into  disrepute,  and  was  put  down  in  England. 

But  that  is  no  reason  why  we  should  forget  what  the 
cross  meant,  and  means  now,  and  will  mean  for  ever. 
Indeed,  the  better  Christians,  the  better  men  we  are,  the 
more  will  Christ's  cross  fill  us  with  thoughts  which  nothing 
else  can  give  us;  thoughts  which  we  are  glad  enough, 
often,  to  forget  and  put  away ;  so  bitterly  do  they  remind 
us  of  our  own  laziness,  selfishness,  and  love  of  pleasure. 

But  still,  the  cross  is  our  sign.  It  is  God's  everlasting 
token  to  us,  that  he  has  told  us  Christians  something 
about  himself  which  none  of  the  wisest  among  the  heathen 


126 


THE  MEASURE  OF  THE  CROSS.  [SERM. 


knew;  which  infidels  now  do  not  know;  which  nothing 
but  the  cross  can  teach  to  men. 

There  were  men  among  the  old  heathens  who  believed 
in  one  God ;  and  some  of  them  saw  that  he  must  be,  on 
the  whole,  a  good  and  a  just  God.  But  they  could  not 
help  thinking  of  God  (with  very  rare  exceptions)  as  a 
respecter  of  persons,  a  God  who  had  favourites ;  and  at 
least,  that  he  was  a  God  who  loved  his  friends,  and  hated 
his  enemies.  So  the  Mussulmans  believe  now.  So  do 
the  Jews ;  indeed,  so  they  did  all  along,  though  they 
ought  to  have  known  better;  for  their  prophets  in  the 
Old  Testament  told  them  a  very  different  tale  about 
God's  love. 

But  that  was  all  they  could  believe — in  a  God  who 
was  not  unjust  or  wicked,  but  was  at  least  hard,  proud, 
unbending:  while  the  notion  that  God  could  love  his 
enemies,  and  bless  those  who  used  him  despitefully  and 
persecuted  him — much  less  die  for  his  enemies — that 
would  have  seemed  to  them  impossible  and  absurd. 
They  stumbled  at  the  stumbling-block  of  the  cross. 
God,  they  thought,  would  do  to  men  as  they  did  to  him. 
If  they  loved  him,  he  would  love  them.  If  they  neglected 
him,  he  would  hate  and  destroy  them. 

But  when  the  apostles  preached  the  Gospel,  the  good 
news  of  Christ  crucified,  they  preached  a  very  different 
tale;  a  tale  quite  new;  utterly  different  from  any  that 
mankind  had  ever  heard  before. 

St.  Paul  calls  it  a  mystery — a  secret — which  had  been 
hidden  from  the  foundation  of  the  world  till  then,  and 
was  then  revealed  by  God's  Spirit ;  namely,  this  boundless 
love  of  God,  shown  by  Christ's  dying  on  the  cross. 


XV.] 


THE  MEASURE  OF  THE  CROSS. 


-7 


And,  he  says,  his  great  hope,  his  great  business,  the 
thing  on  which  his  heart  was  set,  and  which  God  had 
sent  him  into  the  world  to  do,  was  this — to  make  people 
know  the  love  of  Christ ;  to  look  at  Christ's  cross,  and 
take  in  its  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth,  and  height. 
Jt  passes  knowledge,  he  says.  We  shall  never  know  the 
whole  of  it — never  know  all  that  God's  love  has  done, 
and  will  do :  but  the  more  we  know  of  it,  the  more 
blessed  and  hopeful,  the  more  strong  and  earnest,  the 
more  good  and  righteous  we  shall  become. 

And  what  is  the  breadth  of  Christ's  cross?  My 
friends,  it  is  as  broad  as  the  whole  world ;  for  he  died 
for  the  whole  world,  as  it  is  written,  '  He  is  a  propitiation 
not  for  our  sins  only,  but  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world  j' 
and  again,  'God  willeth  that  none  should  perish  /  and 
again,  'As  by  the  offence  judgment  came  on  all  men  to 
condemnation,  even  so  by  the  righteousness  of  one,  the 
gift  came  upon  all  men  to  justification  of  life.' 

And  that  is  the  breadth  of  Christ's  cross. 

And  what  is  the  length  of  Christ's  cross  ?  The  length 
thereof,  says  an  old  father,  signifies  the  time  during  which 
its  virtue  will  last. 

How  long,  then,  is  the  cross  of  Christ  ?  Long  enough 
to  last  through  all  time.  As  long  as  there  is  a  sinner  to 
be  saved;  as  long  as  there  is  ignorance,  sorrow,  pain, 
death,  or  anything  else  which  is  contrary  to  God  and 
hurtful  to  man,  in  the  universe  of  God,  so  long  will 
Christ's  cross  last.  For  it  is  written,  he  must  reign  till 
he  hath  put  all  enemies  under  his  feet ;  and  God  is  all  in 
all.    And  that  is  the  length  of  the  cross  of  Christ. 


128  THE  MEASURE  OF  THE  CROSS.  [SERM. 


And  how  high  is  Christ's  cross?  As  high  as  the 
highest  heaven,  and  the  throne  of  God,  and  the  bosom 
of  the  Father — that  bosom  out  of  which  for  ever  proceed 
all  created  things.  Ay,  as  high  as  the  highest  heaven; 
for— if  you  will  receive  it — when  Christ  hung  upon  the 
cross,  heaven  came  down  on  earth,  and  earth  ascended 
into  heaven.  Christ  never  showed  forth  his  Father's 
glory  so  perfectly  as  when,  hanging  upon  the  cross,  he 
cried  in  his  death-agony,  '  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do.'  Those  words  showed  the  true 
height  of  the  cross;  and  caused  St.  John  to  know  that 
his  vision  was  true,  and  no  dream,  when  he  saw  after- 
wards in  the  midst  of  the  throne  of  God  a  lamb  as  it  had 
been  slain. 

And  that  is  the  height  of  the  cross  of  Christ. 

And  how  deep  is  the  cross  of  Christ  ? 

This  is  a  great  mystery,  and  one  which  people  in  these 
days  are  afraid  to  look  at ;  and  darken  it  of  their  own 
will,  because  they  will  neither  believe  their  Bibles,  nor 
the  voice  of  their  own  hearts. 

But  if  the  cross  of  Christ  be  as  high  as  heaven,  then, 
it  seems  to  me,  it  must  also  be  as  deep  as  hell,  deep 
enough  to  reach  the  deepest  sinner  in  the  deepest  pit  to 
which  he  may  fall.  We  know  that  Christ  descended 
into  hell.  We  know  that  he  preached  to  the  spirits  in 
prison.  We  know  that  it  is  mitten,  'As  in  Adam  all 
die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive.'  We 
know  that  when  the  wicked  man  turns  from  his  wicked- 
ness, and  does  what  is  lawful  and  right,  he  will  save  his 
soul  alive.    We  know  that  in  the  very  same  chapter 


XV.] 


THE  MEASURE  OF  THE  CROSS. 


29 


God  tells  us  that  his  ways  are  not  unequal — that  he  has 
not  one  law  for  one  man,  and  another  for  another,  or 
one  law  for  one  year,  and  another  for  another.  It  is 
possible,  therefore,  that  he  has  not  one  law  for  this  life, 
and  another  for  the  life  to  come.  Let  us  hope,  then, 
that  David's  words  may  be  true  after  all,  when  speaking 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,  he  says,  not  only,  '  if  I  ascend  up 
to  heaven,  thou  art  there  f  but  '  if  I  go  down  to  hell, 
thou  art  there  also and  let  us  hope  that  that  is  the 
depth  of  the  cross  of  Christ. 

At  all  events,  my  friends,  I  believe  that  we  shall  find 
St.  Paul's  words  true,  when  he  says,  that  Christ's  love 
passes  knowledge ;  and  therefore  that  we  shall  find  this 
also ; — that  however  broad  we  may  think  Christ's  cross, 
it  is  broader  still.  However  long,  it  is  longer  still. 
However  high,  it  is  higher  still.  However  deep,  it  is 
deeper  still.  Yes,  we  shall  find  that  St.  Paul  spoke 
solemn  truth  when  he  said,  that  Christ  had  ascended  on 
high  that  he  might  fill  all  things  ;  that  Christ  filled  all  in 
all ;  and  that  he  must  reign  till  the  day  when  he  shall 
give  up  the  kingdom  to  God,  even  the  Father,  that  God 
may  be  all  in  all. 

And  now  do  you  take  all  this  about  the  breadth  and 
length  of  Christ's  cross  to  be  only  ingenious  fancies,  and 
a  pretty  play  of  words  ? 

Ah,  my  friends,  the  day  will  come  when  you  will  find 
that  the  measure  of  Christ's  cross  is  the  most  important 
question  upon  earth. 

In  the  hour  of  death,  and  in  the  day  of  judgment ; 
then  the  one  thing  which  you  will  care  to  think  of  (if 

K 


130  THE  MEASURE  OF  THE  CROSS.  [serm. 


you  can  think  at  all  then,  as  too  many  poor  souls  cannot, 
and  therefore  had  best  think  of  it  now  before  their  wits 
fail  them) — the  one  thing  which  you  will  care  to  think 
of,  I  say,  will  be — not,  how  clever  you  have  been,  how 
successful  you  have  been,  how  much  admired  you  have 
been,  how  much  money  you  have  made : — '  Of  course 
not,'  you  answer ;  '  I  shall  be  thinking  of  the  state  of 
my  soul ;  whether  I  am  fit  to  die ;  whether  I  have  faith 
enough  to  meet  God;  whether  I  have  good  works 
enough  to  meet  God.' 

Will  you,  my  friend  1  Then  you  will  soon  grow  tired 
of  thinking  of  that  likewise,  at  least  I  hope  and  trust 
that  you  will.  For,  however  much  faith  you  may  have 
had,  you  will  find  that  you  have  not  had  enough.  How- 
ever so  many  good  works  you  may  have  done,  you  will 
find  that  you  have  not  done  enough.  The  better  man 
you  are,  the  more  you  will  be  dissatisfied  with  yourself ; 
the  more  you  will  be  ashamed  of  yourself;  till  with 
all  saints,  Romanist  or  Protestant,  or  other,  who  have 
been  worthy  of  the  name  of  saints,  you  will  be  driven — 
if  you  are  in  earnest  about  your  own  soul — to  give  up 
thinking  of  yourself,  and  to  think  only  of  the  cross  of 
Christ,  and  of  the  love  of  Christ  which  shines  thereon ; 
and  ask — Is  it  great  enough  to  cover  my  sins  ?  to  save 
one  as  utterly  unworthy  to  be  saved  as  I.  And  so,  after 
all,  you  will  be  forced  to  throw  yourself — where  you 
ought  to  have  thrown  yourself  at  the  outset — at  the 
foot  of  Christ's  cross ;  and  say  in  spirit  and  in  truth — 

Nothing  in  my  hand  I  bring, 
Simply  to  the  cross  I  cling — 


XV.]  THE  MEASURE  OF  THE  CROSS.  131 


In  plain  words,  I  throw  myself,  with  all  my  sins,  upon 
that  absolute  and  boundless  love  of  God  which  made  all 
things,  and  me  among  them,  and  hateth  nothing  that  he 
hath  made;  who  redeemed  all  mankind,  and  me  among 
them,  and  hath  said  by  the  mouth  of  his  only-begotten 
Son,  '  Him  that  cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.' 


SERMON  XVI. 


THE  PURE  IN  HEART. 
Titus  i.  15. 


Unto  the  pure  all  things  are  pure  : 
and  unbelieving  is  nothing  pure  : 
science  is  defiled. 


but  unto  them  that  are  denied 
but  even  their  mind  and  con- 


'  I  "HIS  seems  at  first  a  strange  and  startling  saying : 
but  it  is  a  true  one;  and  the  more  we  think  over 
it,  the  more  we  shall  find  it  true. 

All  things  are  pure  in  themselves ;  good  in  them- 
selves ;  because  God  made  them.  Is  it  not  written, 
1  God  saw  all  that  he  had  made,  and  behold,  it  was  very 
good?'  Therefore  St.  Paul  says,  that  all  things  are  ours; 
and  that  Christ  gives  us  all  things  richly  to  enjoy.  All 
we  need  is,  to  use  things  in  the  right  way;  that  is,  in  the 
way  in  which  God  intended  them  to  be  used. 

For  God  is  a  God  of  truth ;  a  true,  a  faithful,  and — if 
I  may  so  speak — an  honest  and  honourable,  and  fair 
God  :  not  a  deceiving  or  unfair  God,  who  lays  snares  for 
his  creatures,  or  leads  them  into  temptation.  That  would 
be  a  bad  God,  a  cruel  God,  very  unlike  the  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  has  put  us  into  a  good  world, 
and  not  a  wilderness,  as  some  people  call  it.  If  any 
part  of  this  world  be  a  wilderness,  it  is  because  men 
have  made  it  so,  or  left  it  so,  by  their  own  wilfulness, 


THE  PURE  IN  HEART. 


133 


ignorance,  cowardice,  laziness,  violence.  No :  God,  I 
say,  has  put  us  into  a  good  world,  and  given  us  pure  and 
harmless  appetites,  feelings,  relations.  Therefore  all  the 
relations  of  life  are  holy.  To  be  a  husband,  a  father, 
a  brother,  a  son,  is  pure  and  good.  To  have  property 
and  to  use  it :  to  enjoy  ourselves  in  this  life  as  far  as  we 
can,  without  hurting  ourselves  or  our  neighbours ;  all  this 
is  pure,  and  good,  and  holy.  God  does  not  grudge  or 
upbraid.  He  does  not  frown  upon  innocent  pleasure. 
For  God  is  light,  and  in  him  is  no  darkness  at  all. 
Therefore  he  rejoices  in  seeing  his  creatures  healthy  and 
happy.  Therefore,  as  I  believe,  Christ  smiles  out  of 
heaven  upon  the  little  children  at  their  play;  and  the 
laugh  of  a  babe  is  heavenly  music  in  his  ears. 

All  things  are  pure  which  God  has  given  to  man. 
And  therefore,  if  a  man  be  pure  in  heart,  all  which  God 
has  given  him  will  not  only  do  him  no  harm,  but  do  him 
good.  All  the  comforts  and  blessings  of  this  life  will 
help  to  make  him  a  better  man.  They  will  teach  him 
about  his  own  character;  about  human  nature,  and  the 
people  with  whom  he  has  to  do ;  ay — about  God  himself, 
as  it  is  written,  '  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they 
shall  see  God.' 

All  the  blessings  and  comforts  of  this  life,  my  friends 
(as  well  as  the  anxieties  which  must  come  to  those  who 
have  a  family,  or  property,  even  if  he  do  not  meet  with 
losses  and  afflictions),  ought  to  help  to  improve  a  man's 
temper,  to  call  out  in  him  right  feelings,  to  teach  him 
more  and  more  of  the  likeness  of  God. 

If  he  be  a  married  man,  marriage  ought  to  teach  him 


134  THE  PURE  IN  HEART.  [SERM. 


not  to  live  for  himself  only,  but  to  sacrifice  his  own 
fancies,  his  own  ease,  his  own  will,  for  the  sake  of  the 
woman  whom  God  has  given  him ;  as  Christ  sacrificed 
himself,  and  his  own  life,  for  mankind.  And  so,  by  the 
feelings  of  a  husband,  he  may  enter  into  the  mystery  of 
the  love  of  Christ,  and  of  the  cross  of  Christ ;  and  so,  if 
only  he  he  pure  in  heart,  he  will  see  God. 

If  he  have  parents,  he  may  learn  by  being  a  son  how 
blessed  it  is  to  obey,  how  useful  to  a  man's  character  to 
submit :  ay,  he  will  find  out  more  still.  He  will  find  out 
that  not  by  being  self-willed  and  independent  does  the 
finest  and  noblest  parts  of  his  character  come  out,  but 
by  copying  his  Father  in  everything ;  that  going  where 
his  Father  sends  him;  being  jealous  of  his  Father's 
honour ;  doing  not  his  own  will,  but  his  Father's ;  that 
all  this,  I  say,  is  its  own  reward ;  for  instead  of  lowering 
a  man,  it  raises  him,  and  calls  out  in  him  all  that  is 
purest,  tenderest,  soberest,  bravest.  I  tell  you  this  day 
— Just  as  far  as  you  are  good  sons  to  your  parents,  so 
far  will  you  be  able  to  understand  the  mystery  of  the 
coequal  and  coeternal  Son  of  God ;  who  though  he  were 
in  the  form  of  God,  did  not  snatch  greedily  at  being  on 
the  same  footing  with  his  Father,  but  emptied  himself, 
and  took  on  him  the  form  of  a  slave,  that  he  might  do 
his  Father's  will,  and  reveal  his  Father's  glory.  And  so, 
if  you  be  only  pure  in  heart,  you  will  see  God. 

If,  again,  a  man  have  children — how  they  ought  to 
teach  him,  to  train  him ; — teach  him  to  restrain  his  own 
temper,  lest  he  provoke  them  to  anger ;  to  be  calm  and 
moderate  with  them,  lest  he  frighten  them  into  lying ;  to 


XVI.] 


THE  PURE  IN  HEART. 


35 


avoid  bad  language,  gluttony,  drunkenness,  and  every 
coarse  sin,  lest  he  tempt  them  to  follow  his  example. 
I  tell  you,  friends,  that  you  will  find,  if  you  choose,  all 
the  noblest,  most  generous,  most  Godlike  parts  of  your 
character  called  out  to  your  children ;  and  by  having  the 
feelings  of  a  father  to  your  children,  learn  what  feelings 
our  Father  in  heaven  has  toward  us,  his  human  offspring. 
And  so,  if  only  you  be  pure  in  heart,  you  will  see  God. 

If  again,  a  man  has  money,  money  can  teach  him  (as 
it  teaches  hundreds  of  pure-hearted  men)  that  charity 
and  generosity  are  not  only  a  duty,  but  an  honour  and 
a  joy;  that  'mercy  is  twice  blest;  it  blesses  him  that 
gives,  and  him  that  takes;'  that  giving  is  the  highest 
pleasure  upon  earth,  because  it  is  God's  own  pleasure ; 
because  the  blessedness  of  God,  and  the  glory  of  God  is 
this,  that  he  giveth  to  all  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not. 
And  so  in  his  wealth — if  only  he  be  pure  in  heart,  a  man 
will  see  God. 

If,  again,  a  man  has  health,  and  strength,  and  high 
spirits,  they  too  will  teach  him,  if  his  heart  be  pure. 
He  will  learn  from  them  to  look  up  to  God  as  the  Lord 
and  Giver  of  life,  health,  strength  ;  of  the  power  to  work, 
and  the  power  to  delight  in  working :  because  God  him- 
self is  ever  full  of  life,  ever  busy,  ever  rejoicing  to  put 
forth  his  almighty  power  for  the  good  of  the  whole 
universe,  as  it  is  written,  '  My  Father  worketh  hitherto, 
and  I  work.'  And  so — in  every  relation  of  life — if  only 
a  man's  heart  be  pure,  he  will  see  God. 

How,  then,  can  we  get  the  pure  heart  which  will 
make  all  things  pure  to  us?    By  asking  for  the  Spirit 


i  36 


THE  PURE  IN  HEART. 


[SERM. 


of  God,  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Pure  Spirit,  in  whom  is  no 
selfishness. 

For  if  our  hearts  be  selfish,  they  cannot  be  pure. 
The  pure  in  heart,  is  the  same  as  the  man  whose  eye  is 
single,  and  that  is  the  man  who  is  not  caring  for  himself, 
thinking  of  himself.  If  a  man  be  thinking  of  himself,  he 
will  never  enjoy  life.  The  pure  blessings  which  God  has 
given  him  will  be  no  blessings  to  him;  as  it  is  written, 
'  He  that  saveth  his  life  shall  lose  it' 

Do  you  not  know  that  that  is  true?  Do  not  the 
miseries  of  life  (I  do  not  mean  the  afflictions,  like  loss  of 
friends  or  kin),  but  the  miseries  of  life  which  make  a 
man  dark,  and  fretful,  and  prevent  his  enjoying  God's 
gifts — do  they  not  come,  nineteen-twentieths  of  them, 
from  thinking  about  oneself;  from  lusting  and  longing 
after  this  and  that;  from  spite,  vanity,  bad  temper, 
wounded  pride,  disappointed  covetousness  ?  '  I  cannot 
get  this  or  that;  that  money,  that  place;  this  or  that 
fine  thing  or  the  other :  and  how  can  I  be  contented  ?' 
There  is  a  man  whose  heart  is  not  pure.  'That  man 
has  used  me  ill,  and  I  cannot  help  thinking  of  it,  brood- 
ing over  it.  I  cannot  forgive  him.  How  can  I  be 
expected  to  forgive  him  ?'  There  is  a  man  whose  heart 
is  not  pure;  and  more,  there  is  a  man  who  is  making 
himself  miserable. 

See  again,  how  a  man  may  make  marriage  a  curse  to 
him  instead  of  a  blessing,  without  being  unfaithful  to  his 
wife  (which  we  all  know  to  be  simply  abominable  and 
unmanly,  and  far  below  anything  of  which  I  am  talking 
now).     And  how?     Simply  by  bad  temper,  vanity, 


XVI.] 


THE  PURE  IN  HEART. 


37 


greediness,  and  selfish  love  of  his  own  dignity,  his  own 
pleasure,  his  own  this,  that,  and  the  other.  So,  too,  he 
may  make  his  children  a  torment  to  him,  instead  of 
letting  them  be  God's  lesson-book  to  him,  in  which  he 
may  see  the  likeness  of  the  angels  in  heaven. 

He  may  make  his  wealth  a  continual  anxiety  to  him  : 
ay,  he  may  make  it,  by  ambition,  covetousness,  and  wild 
speculation,  the  cause  of  his  shame  and  ruin ;  if  only  his 
heart  be  not  pure. 

Ay,  there  is  not  a  blessing  on  earth  which  a  man  may 
not  turn  into  a  curse.  There  is  not  a  good  gift  of  God 
out  of  which  a  man  may  not  get  harm,  if  only  his  heart 
be  not  pure ;  as  it  is  written,  '  To  those  who  are  defiled 
and  unbelieving  nothing  is  pure :  but  even  their  mind 
and  conscience  are  defiled.' 

But  defiled  with  what?  Fouled  with  what?  There 
is  the  question.  Many  answers  have  been  invented  by 
people  who  did  not  believe  in  that  faithful  and  true  God 
of  whom  I  told  you  just  now ;  people  who  fancied  that 
this  world  was  a  bad  world,  and  that  God  laid  snares  for 
his  creatures  and  tempted  his  creatures.  But  the  true 
answer  is  only  to  be  got,  like  most  true  answers,  by  ob- 
serving; by  using  our  eyes  and  ears,  and  seeing  what 
really  makes  people  turn  blessings  into  curses,  and  suck 
poison  out  of  every  flower. 

And  that  is,  simply,  self. 

If  you  want  to  spoil  all  that  God  gives  you ;  if  you 
want  to  be  miserable  yourself,  and  a  maker  of  misery  to 
others,  the  way  is  easy  enough.  Only  be  selfish,  and  it 
is  done  at  once.    Be  defiled  and  unbelieving.  Defile 


I38  THE  PURE  IN  HEART.  [SERM. 


and  foul  God's  good  gifts  by  self,  and  by  loving  yourself 
more  than  what  is  right.  Do  not  believe  that  the  good 
God  knows  your  needs  before  you  ask,  and  will  give  you 
whatsoever  is  good  for  you.  Think  about  yourself; 
about  what  you  want,  what  you  like,  what  respect  people 
ought  to  pay  you,  what  people  think  of  you :  and  then  to 
you  nothing  will  be  pure.  You  will  spoil  everything  you 
touch ;  you  will  make  sin  and  misery  for  yourself  out  of 
everything  which  God  sends  you ;  you  will  be  as  wretched 
as  you  choose  on  earth,  or  in  heaven  either. 

In  heaven  either,  I  say.  For  that  proud,  greedy, 
selfish,  self-seeking  spirit  would  turn  heaven  into  hell. 
It  did  turn  heaven  into  hell,  for  the  great  devil  himself. 
It  was  by  pride,  by  seeking  his  own  glory — (so,  at  least, 
wise  men  say) — that  he  fell  from  heaven  to  hell.  He 
was  not  content  to  give  up  his  own  will  and  do  God's 
will,  like  the  other  angels.  He  was  not  content  to  serve 
God,  and  rejoice  in  God's  glory.  He  would  be  a  master 
himself,  and  set  up  for  himself,  and  rejoice  in  his  own 
glory ;  and  so,  when  he  wanted  to  make  a  private  heaven 
of  his  own,  he  found  that  he  had  made  a  hell.  When  he 
wanted  to  be  a  little  God  for  himself,  he  lost  the  life  of 
the  true  God,  to  lose  which  is  eternal  death.  And  why? 
Because  his  heart  was  not  pure,  clean,  honest,  simple, 
unselfish.  Therefore  he  saw  God  no  more,  and  learnt  to 
hate  him  whose  name  is  love. 

May  God  keep  our  hearts  pure  from  that  selfishness 
which  is  the  root  of  all  sin;  from  selfishness,  out  of 
which  alone  spring  adultery,  foul  living,  drunkenness, 
evil  speaking,  lying,  slandering,  injustice,  oppression, 


XVI.] 


THE  PURE  IN  HEART. 


39 


cruelty,  and  all  which  makes  man  worse  than  the  beasts. 
May  God  give  us  those  pure  hearts  of  which  it  is  written, 
that  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering, 
gentleness,  goodness,  meekness,  temperance.  Against 
such,  St.  Paul  says,  there  is  no  law.  And  why?  Because 
no  law  is  needed.  For,  as  a  wise  father  says — '  Love, 
and  do  what  thou  wilt;'  for  then  thou  wilt  be  sure  to 
will  what  is  right ;  and,  as  St.  Paul  says,  If  your  heart  be 
pure,  all  things  will  be  pure  to  you. 


SERMON  XVII. 


MUSIC. 


(Christmas  Day.) 


Luke  ii.  13,  14. 


And  suddenly  there  was  with  the  angel  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly 
host,  praising  God,  anil  saying,  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and 
on  earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men. 

"V7"OU  have 'been  just  singing  Christmas  hymns ;  and 


my  text  speaks  of  the  first  Christmas  hymn.  Now 
what  the  words  of  that  hymn  meant;  what  Peace  on 
earth  and  good-will  towards  man  meant,  I  have  often 
told  you.  To-day  I  want  you,  for  once,  to  think  of  this 
— that  it  was  a  hymn;  that  these  angels  were  singing, 
even  as  human  beings  sing. 

Music. — There  is  something  very  wonderful  in  music. 
Words  are  wonderful  enough :  but  music  is  even  more 
wonderful.  It  speaks  not  to  our  thoughts  as  words  do : 
it  speaks  straight  to  our  hearts  and  spirits,  to  the  very 
core  and  root  of  our  souls.  Music  soothes  us,  stirs  us 
up ;  it  puts  noble  feelings  into  us ;  it  melts  us  to  tears, 
we  know  not  how: — it  is  a  language  by  itself,  just  as 
perfect,  in  its  way,  as  speech,  as  words;  just  as  divine, 
just  as  blessed. 

Music  has  been  called  the  speech  of  angels ;  I  will  go 
further,  and  call  it  the  speech  of  God  himself: — and 


MUSIC. 


141 


I  will,  with  God's  help,  show  you  a  little  what  I  mean 
this  Christmas  day. 

Music,  I  say,  without  words,  is  wonderful  and  blessed ; 
one  of  God's  best  gifts  to  men.  But  in  singing  you 
have  both  the  wonders  together,  music  and  words. 
Singing  speaks  at  once  to  the  head  and  to  the  heart,  to 
our  understanding  and  to  our  feelings ;  and  therefore, 
perhaps,  the  most  beautiful  way  in  which  the  reasonable 
soul  of  man  can  show  itself  (except,  of  course,  doing 
right,  which  always  is,  and  always  will  be,  the  most 
beautiful  thing)  is  singing. 

Now,  why  do  we  all  enjoy  music  ?  Because  it  sounds 
sweet.    But  why  does  it  sound  sweet  ? 

That  is  a  mystery  known-  only  to  God. 

Two  things  I  may  make  you  understand — two  things 
which  help  to  make  music — melody  and  harmony.  Now, 
as  most  of  you  know,  there  is  melody  in  music  when  the 
different  sounds  of  the  same  tune  follow  each  other, 
so  as  to  give  us  pleasure;  there  is  harmony  in  music 
when  different  sounds,  instead  of  following  each  other, 
come  at  the  same  time,  so  as  to  give  us  pleasure. 

But  why  do  they  please  us  ?  and  what  is  more,  why 
do  they  please  angels?  and  more  still,  why  do  they 
please  God  ?  Why  is  there  music  in  heaven  ?  Consider 
St.  John's  visions  in  the  Revelations.  Why  did  St.  John 
hear  therein  harpers  with  their  harps,  and  the  mystic 
beasts,  and  the  elders,  singing  a  new  song  to  God  and 
to  the  Lamb ;  and  the  voices  of  many  angels  round 
about  them,  whose  number  was  ten  thousand  times  ten 
thousand  ? 


142  MUSIC.  [SERM. 


In  this  is  a  great  mystery.  I  will  try  to  explain  what 
little  of  it  I  seem  to  see. 

First — There  is  music  in  heaven,  because  in  music 
there  is  no  self-will.  Music  goes  on  certain  laws  and 
rules.  Man  did  not  make  those  laws  of  music ;  he  has 
only  found  them  out :  and  if  he  be  self-willed  and  break 
them,  there  is  an  end  of  his  music  instantly;  all  he 
brings  out  is  discord  and  ugly  sounds.  The  greatest 
musician  in  the  world  is  as  much  bound  by  those  laws 
as  the  learner  in  the  school ;  and  the  greatest  musician 
is  the  one  who,  instead  of  fancying  that,  because  he  is 
clever,  he  may  throw  aside  the  laws  of  music,  knows  the 
laws  of  music  best,  and  observes  them  most  reverently. 
And  therefore  it  was  that  the  old  Greeks,  the  wisest  of 
all  the  heathens,  made  a  point  of  teaching  their  children 
music;  because,  they  said,  it  taught  them  not  to  be 
self-willed  and  fanciful,  but  to  see  the  beauty  of  order, 
the  usefulness  of  rule,  the  divineness  of  law. 

And  therefore  music  is  fit  for  heaven ;  therefore  music 
is  a  pattern  and  type  of  heaven,  and  of  the  everlasting 
life  of  God,  which  perfect  spirits  live  in  heaven ;  a  life 
of  melody  and  order  in  themselves ;  a  life  of  harmony 
with  each  other  and  with  God.  Music,  I  say,  is  a  pattern 
of  the  everlasting  life  of  heaven  ;  because  in  heaven,  as 
in  music,  is  perfect  freedom  and  perfect  pleasure;  and 
yet  that  freedom  comes  not  from  throwing  away  law,  but 
from  obeying  God's  law  perfectly;  and  that  pleasure 
comes,  not  from  self-will,  and  doing  each  what  he  likes, 
but  from  perfectly  doing  the  will  of  the  Father  who  is  in 
heaven. 


MUSIC. 


143 


And  that  in  itself  would  be  sweet  music,  even  if  there 
were  neither  voice  nor  sound  in  heaven.  For  wherever 
there  is  order  and  obedience,  there  is  sweet  music  for 
the  ears  of  Christ.  Whatsoever  does  its  duty,  according 
to  its  kind  which  Christ  has  given  it,  makes  melody  in 
the  ears  of  Christ.  Whatsoever  is  useful  to  the  things 
around  it,  makes  harmony  in  the  ears  of  Christ.  There- 
fore those  wise  old  Greeks  used  to  talk  of  the  music  of 
the  spheres.  They  said  that  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  going 
round  each  in  its  appointed  path,  made  as  they  rolled 
along  across  the  heavens  everlasting  music  before  the 
throne  of  God.  And  so,  too,  the  old  Psalms  say.  Do 
you  not  recollect  that  noble  verse,  which  speaks  of  the 
stars  of  heaven,  and  says — 

What  though  no  human  voice  or  sound 
Amid  their  radiant  orbs  be  found  ? 
To  Reason's  ear  they  all  rejoice, 
And  utter  forth  a  glorious  voice  ; 
For  ever  singing  as  they  shine, 
The  hand  that  made  us  is  divine. 

And  therefore  it  is,  that  that  noble  Song  of  the  Three 
Children  calls  upon  sun  and  moon,  and  stars  of  heaven, 
to  bless  the  Lord,  praise  him,  and  magnify  him  for  ever : 
and  not  only  upon  them,  but  on  the  smallest  things  on 
earth ; — on  mountains  and  hills,  green  herbs  and  springs, 
cattle  and  feathered  fowl ;  they  too,  he  says,  can  bless 
the  Lord,  and  magnify  him  for  ever.  And  how?  By 
fulfilling  the  law  which  God  has  given  them ;  and  by 
living  each  after  their  kind,  according  to  the  wisdom 
wherewith  Christ  the  Word  of  God  created  thern,  when 
he  beheld  all  that  he  had  made,  and  behold,  it  was  very 
good. 


144 


MUSIC. 


[SERM. 


And  so  can  we,  my  friends ;  so  can  we.  Some  of  us 
may  not  be  able  to  make  music  with  our  voices  :  but  we 
can  make  it  with  our  hearts,  and  join  in  the  angels'  song 
this  day,  if  not  with  our  lips,  yet  in  our  lives. 

If  thou  fulfillest  the  law  which  God  has  given  thee, 
the  law  of  love  and  liberty,  then  thou  makest  music 
before  God,  and  thy  life  is  a  hymn  of  praise  to  God. 

If  thou  art  in  love  and  charity  with  thy  neighbours, 
thou  art  making  sweeter  harmony  in  the  ears  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  than  psaltery,  dulcimer,  and  all  kinds  of 
music. 

If  thou  art  living  a  righteous  and  a  useful  life,  doing 
thy  duty  orderly  and  cheerfully  where  God  has  put  thee, 
then  thou  art  making  sweeter  melody  in  the  ears  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  than  if  thou  hadst  the  throat  of  a 
nightingale;  for  then  thou  in  thy  humble  place  art 
humbly  copying  the  everlasting  harmony  and  melody 
which  is  in  heaven ;  the  everlasting  harmony  and  melody 
by  which  God  made  the  world  and  all  that  therein  is, 
and  behold  it  was  very  good,  in  the  day  when  the  morn- 
ing stars  sang  together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted 
for  joy  over  the  new-created  earth,  which  God  had  made 
to  be  a  pattern  of  his  own  perfection. 

For  this  is  that  mystery  of  which  I  spoke  just  now, 
when  I  said  that  music  was  as  it  were  the  voice  of  God 
himself.  Yes,  I  say  it  with  all  reverence  :  but  I  do  say 
it.  There  is  music  in  God.  Not  the  music  of  voice  or 
sound;  a  music  which  no  ears  can  hear,  but  only  the 
spirit  of  a  man,  when  awakened  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
taught  to  know  God,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit 


XVII.] 


MUSIC. 


145 


There  is  one  everlasting  melody  in  heaven,  which 
Christ,  the  Word  of  God,  makes  for  ever,  when  he  does 
all  things  perfectly  and  wisely,  and  righteously  and 
gloriously,  full  of  grace  and  truth :  and  from  that  all 
melody  comes,  and  is  a  dim  pattern  thereof  here  ;  and  is 
beautiful  only  because  it  is  a  dim  pattern  thereof. 

And  there  is  an  everlasting  harmony  in  God ;  which 
is  the  harmony  between  the  Father  and  the  Son;  who 
though  he  be  coequal  and  coeternal  with  his  Father, 
does  nothing  of  himself,  but  only  what  he  seeth  his 
Father  do ;  saying  for  ever,  1  Not  my  will,  but  thine  be 
done,'  and  hears  his  Father  answer  for  ever,  '  Thou  art 
my  Son,  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee.' 

Therefore,  all  melody  and  all  harmony  upon  earth, 
whether  in  the  song  of  birds,  the  whisper  of  the  wind, 
the  concourse  of  voices,  or  the  sounds  of  those  cunning 
instruments  which  man  has  learnt  to  create,  because  he 
is  made  in  the  image  of  Christ,  the  Word  of  God,  who 
creates  all  things ;  all  music  upon  earth,  I  say,  is  beautiful 
in  as  far  as  it  is  a  pattern  and  type  of  the  everlasting 
music  which  is  in  heaven ;  which  was  before  all  worlds, 
and  shall  be  after  them  ;  for  by  its  rules  all  worlds  were 
made,  and  will  be  made  for  ever,  even  the  everlasting 
melody  of  the  wise  and  loving  will  of  God,  and  the  ever- 
lasting harmony  of  the  Father  toward  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Son  toward  the  Father,  in  one  Holy  Spirit  who 
proceeds  from  them  both,  to  give  melody  and  harmony, 
order  and  beauty,  life  and  light,  to  all  which  God  has 
made. 

Therefore  music  is  a  sacred,  a  divine,  a  Godlike  thing, 

L 


14& 


MUSIC. 


[SERM. 


and  was  given  to  man  by  Christ  to  lift  our  hearts  up  to 
God,  and  make  us  feel  something  of  the  glory  and  beauty 
of  God  and  of  all  which  God  has  made. 

Therefore,  too,  music  is  most  fit  for  Christmas  day, 
of  all  days  in  the  year.  Christmas  has  always  been  a 
day  of  songs,  of  carols  and  of  hymns ;  and  so  let  it  be 
for  ever.  If  we  had  no  music  all  the  rest  of  the  year 
in  church  or  out  of  church,  let  us  have  it  at  least  on 
Christmas  day. 

For  on  Christmas  day  most  of  all  days  (if  I  may  talk 
of  eternal  things  according  to  the  laws  of  time)  was 
manifested  on  earth  the  everlasting  music  which  is  in 
heaven. 

On  Christmas  day  was  fulfilled  in  time  and  space  the 
everlasting  harmony  of  God,  when  the  Father  sent  the 
Son  into  the  world,  that  the  world  through  him  might  be 
saved;  and  the  Son  refused  not,  neither  shrank  back, 
though  he  knew  that  sorrow,  shame,  and  death  awaited 

him,  but  answeied,  'A  body  hast  thou  prepared  me  

I  come  to  do  thy  will,  oh  God  !'  and  so  emptied  himself, 
and  took  on  himself  the  form  of  a  slave,  and  was  found 
in  fashion  as  a  man,  that  he  might  fulfil  not  his  own  will, 
but  the  will  of  the  Father  who  sent  him. 

On  this  day  began  that  perfect  melody  of  the  Son's 
life  on  earth ;  one  song  and  poem,  as  it  were,  of  wise 
words,  good  deeds,  spotless  purity,  and  untiring  love, 
which  he  perfected  when  he  died,  and  rose  again,  and 
ascended  on  high  for  ever  to  make  intercession  for 
us  with  music  sweeter  than  the  song  of  angels  and 
archangels,  and  all  the  heavenly  host 


XVII.] 


MUSIC. 


47 


Go  home,  then,  remembering  how  divine  and  holy 
a  thing  music  is,  and  rejoice  before  the  Lord  this  day 
with  psalms  and  hymns,  and  spiritual  songs  (by  which 
last  I  think  the  apostle  means  not  merely  church  music 
— for  that  he  calls  psalms  and  hymns — but  songs  which 
have  a  good  and  wholesome  spirit  in  them);  and  re- 
membering, too,  that  music,  like  marriage,  and  all  other 
beautiful  things  which  God  has  given  to  man,  is  not 
to  be  taken  in  hand  unadvisedly,  lightly,  or  wantonly; 
but,  even  when  it  is  most  cheerful  and  joyful  (as  marriage 
is),  reverently,  discreetly,  soberly,  and  in  the  fear  of 
God.  Amen. 


SERMON  XVIII. 


THE  CHRIST  CHILD. 


( Christmas  Day.) 


Luke  ii.  7. 


And  she  brought  forth  her  first-born  Son,  and  wrapt  him  in 
swaddling  clothes,  and  laid  him  in  a  manger. 


OTHER  and  child.— Think  of  it,  my  friends,  on 


Christmas  day.  What  more  beautiful  sight  is 
there  in  the  world?  What  more  beautiful  sight,  and 
what  more  wonderful  sight? 

What  more  beautiful?  That  man  must  be  very  far 
from  the  kingdom  of  God — he  is  not  worthy  to  be  called 
a  man  at  all — whose  heart  has  not  been  touched  by  the 
sight  of  his  first  child  in  its  mother's  bosom. 

The  greatest  painters  who  have  ever  lived  have  tried 
to  paint  the  beauty  of  that  simple  thing — a  mother  with 
her  babe :  and  have  failed.  One  of  them,  Rafaelle  by 
name,  to  whom  God  gave  the  spirit  of  beauty  in  a 
measure  in  which  he  never  gave  it,  perhaps,  to  any  other 
man,  tried  again  and  again,  for  years,  painting  over  and 
over  that  simple  subject — the  mother  and  her  babe — and 
could  not  satisfy  himself.  Each  of  his  pictures  is  most 
beautiful — each  in  a  different  way;  and  yet  none  of  them 
is  perfect.    There  is  more  beauty  in  that  simple  every- 


THE  CHRIST  CHILD. 


149 


day  sight  than  he  or  any  man  could  express  by  his  pencil 
and  his  colours.  And  yet  it  is  a  sight  which  we  see 
every  day. 

And  as  for  the  wonder  of  that  sight — the  mystery  of 
it — I  tell  you  this.  That  physicians,  and  the  wise  men 
who  look  into  the  laws  of  nature,  of  flesh  and  blood,  say 
that  the  mystery  is  past  their  finding  out ;  that  if  they 
could  find  out  the  whole  meaning,  and  the  true  meaning 
of  those  two  words,  mother  and  child,  they  could  get  the 
key  to  the  deepest  wonders  of  the  world :  but  they 
cannot. 

And  philosophers,  who  look  into  the  laws  of  soul  and 
spirit,  say  the  same.  The  wiser  men  they  are,  the  more 
they  find  in  the  soul  of  every  new-born  babe,  and  its 
kindred  to  its  mother,  wonders  and  puzzles  past  man's 
understanding. 

I  will  say  boldly,  my  friends,  that  if  one  could  find 
out  the  full  meaning  of  those  two  words,  mother  and 
child,  one  would  be  the  wisest  philosopher  on  earth,  and 
see  deeper  than  all  who  have  ever  yet  lived,  into  the 
secrets  of  this  world  of  time  which  we  can  see,  and  of 
the  eternal  world,  which  no  man  can  see,  save  with  the 
eyes  of  his  reasonable  soul. 

And  yet  it  is  the  most  common,  every-day  sight. 
That  only  shows  once  more  what  I  so  often  try  to  show 
you,  that  the  most  common,  every-day  things  are  the 
most  wonderful.  It  shows  us  how  we  are  to  despise 
nothing  which  God  has  made;  above  all,  to  despise 
nothing  which  belongs  to  human  nature,  which  is  the 
likeness  and  image  of  God. 


15°  THE  CHRIST  CHILD.  [SERM. 


Above  all,  upon  this  Christmas  day  it  is  not  merely 
ignorant  and  foolish,  but  quite  sinful  and  heretical,  to 
despise  anything  which  belongs  to  human  nature.  For 
on  this  day  God  appeared  in  human  nature,  and  in  the 
first  and  lowest  shape  of  it — in  the  form  of  a  new-born 
babe,  that  by  beginning  at  the  beginning,  he  might  end 
at  the  end;  and  being  made  in  all  things  like  as  his 
brethren,  might  perfectly  and  utterly  take  the  manhood 
into  God. 

This,  then,  we  are  to  think  of,  at  least  on  Christmas 
day — God  revealed,  and  shown  to  men,  as  a  babe  upon 
his  mother's  bosom. 

Men  had  pictured  God  to  themselves  already  in  many 
shapes — some  foolish,  foul,  brutal — God  forgive  them ; — 
some  noble  and  majestic.  Sometimes  they  thought  of 
him  as  a  mighty  Lawgiver,  sitting  upon  his  throne  in  the 
heavens,  with  solemn  face  and  awful  eyes,  looking  down 
upon  all  the  earth.  That  fancy  was  not  a  false  one. 
St.  John  saw  the  Lord  so. 

'  And  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  candlesticks  one  like 
unto  the  Son  of  man,  clothed  with  a  garment  down  to 
the  foot,  and  girt  about  the  paps  with  a  golden  girdle. 
His  head  and  his  hairs  were  white  like  wool,  as  white  as 
snow ;  and  his  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire ;  and  his  feet 
like  unto  fine  brass,  as  if  they  burned  in  a  furnace ;  and 
his  voice  as  the  sound  of  many  waters.  And  he  had  in 
his  right  hand  seven  stars;  and  out  of  his  mouth  went 
a  sharp  two-edged  sword ;  and  his  countenance  was  as 
the  sun  shining  in  his  strength.' 

Sometimes,  again,  they  thought  of  him  as  the  terrible 


XVIII.] 


THE  CHRIST  CHILD. 


warrior,  going  forth  to  conquer  and  destroy  all  which 
opposed  him ;  to  kill  wicked  tyrants,  and  devils,  and  all 
who  rebelled  against  him,  and  who  hurt  human  beings. 

And  that  was  not  a  false  fancy  either.  St.  John  saw 
the  Lord  so. 

'  And  I  saw  heaven  opened,  and  behold  a  white  horse; 
and  he  that  sat  upon  him  was  called  Faithful  and  True ; 
and  in  righteousness  he  doth  judge  and  make  war.  His 
eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire,  and  on  his  head  were  many 
crowns ;  and  he  had  a  name  written,  that  no  man  knew 
but  he  himself:  and  he  was  clothed  with  a  vesture 
dipped  in  blood ;  and  his  name  is  called,  The  Word  of 
God.  And  the  armies  which  were  in  heaven  followed 
him  upon  white  horses,  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and 
clean.  And  out  of  his  mouth  goeth  a  sharp  sword,  that 
with  it  he  should  smite  the  nations ;  and  he  shall  rule 
them  with  a  rod  of  iron :  and  he  treadeth  the  winepress 
of  the  fierceness  and  wrath  of  Almighty  God.' 

But  all  these  were  only,  as  it  were,  fancies  about  one 
side  of  God's  character.  It  was  only  in  the  Babe  of 
Bethlehem  that  the  whole  of  God's  character  shone  forth, 
that  men  might  not  merely  fear  him  and  bow  before  him, 
but  trust  in  him  and  love  him,  as  one  who  could  be 
touched  with  the  feeling  of  their  infirmities.* 

It  was  on  Christmas  day  that  God  appeared  among 
men  as  a  child  upon  a  mother's  bosom.     And  why? 

*  I  do  not  quote  the  Crishna  Legends,  because  they  seem  to  be 
of  post-Christian  date;  and  also  worthless  from  the  notion  of  a  real 
human  babe  being  utterly  lost  in  the  ascription  to  Crishna  of  un- 
limited magical  powers. 


152  THE  CHRIST  CHILD.  [SERM. 


Surely  for  this  reason,  among  a  thousand  more,  that  he 
might  teach  men  to  feel  for  him  and  with  him,  and  to  be 
sure  that  he  felt  for  them  and  with  them.  To  teach 
them  to  feel  for  him  and  with  him,  he  took  the  shape  of 
a  little  child,  to  draw  out  all  their  love,  all  their  tender- 
ness, and,  if  I  may  so  say,  all  their  pity. 

A  God  in  need  !  A  God  weak  !  A  God  fed  by 
mortal  woman  !  A  God  wrapt  in  swaddling  clothes,  and 
laid  in  a  manger  ! — If  that  sight  will  not  touch  our  hearts, 
what  will  ? 

And  by  that  same  sight  he  has  taught  men  that  he 
feels  with  them  and  for  them.  God  has  been  through 
the  pains  of  infancy.  God  has  hungered.  God  has 
wept.  God  has  been  ignorant.  God  has  grown,  and 
increased  in  stature  and  in  wisdom,  and  in  favour  both 
with  God  and  man. 

And  why?  That  he  might  take  on  him  our  human 
nature.  Not  merely  the  nature  of  a  great  man,  of  a  wise 
man,  of  a  grown  up  man  only :  but  all  human  nature, 
from  the  nature  of  the  babe  on  its  mother's  bosom,  to 
the  nature  of  the  full-grown  and  full-souled  man,  fighting 
with  all  his  powers  against  the  evil  of  the  world.  AH 
this  is  his,  and  he  is  all ;  that  no  human  being,  from  the 
strongest  to  the  weakest,  from  the  eldest  to  the  youngest, 
but  may  be  able  to  say,  '  What  I  am,  Christ  has  been.' 

Take  home  with  you,  then,  this  thought,  on  this 
Christmas  day,  among  all  the  rest  which  Christmas  ought 
to  put  into  your  minds.  Respect  your  own  children. 
Look  on  them  as  the  likeness  of  Christ,  and  the  image 
of  God ;  and  when  you  go  home  this  day,  believe  that 


XVIII.] 


THE  CHRIST  CHILD. 


53 


Christ  is  in  them,  the  hope  of  glory  to  them  hereafter. 
Draw  them  round  you,  and  say  to  them — each  in  your 
ovvn  fashion — 'My  children,  God  was  made  like  to  you 
this  day,  that  you  might  be  made  like  God.  Children, 
this  is  your  day,  for  on  this  day  God  became  a  child; 
that  God  gives  you  leave  to  think  of  him  as  a  child,  that 
you  may  be  sure  he  loves  children,  sure  he  understands 
children,  sure  that  a  little  child  is  as  near  and  as  dear  to 
God  as  kings,  nobles,  scholars,  and  divines.' 

Yes,  my  dear  children,  you  may  think  of  God  as  a 
child,  now  and  always.  For  you  Christ  is  always  the 
Babe  of  Bethlehem.  Do  not  say  to  yourselves,  '  Christ 
is  grown  up  long  ago ;  he  is  a  full-grown  man.'  He  is, 
and  yet  he  is  not.  His  life  is  eternal  in  the  heavens, 
above  all  change  of  time  and  space ;  for  time  and  space 
are  but  his  creatures  and  his  tools.  Therefore  he  can  be 
all  things  to  all  men,  because  he  is  the  Son  of  man. 

Yes;  all  things  to  all  men.  Hearken  to  me,  you 
children,  and  you  grown-up  children  also,  if  there  be 
any  in  this  church — for  if  you  will  receive  it,  such  is  the 
sacred  heart  of  Jesus — all  things  to  all;  and  wherever 
there  is  the  true  heart  of  a  true  human  being,  there, 
beating  in  perfect  answer  to  it,  is  the  heart  of  Christ. 

To  the  strong  he  can  be  strongest ;  and  to  the  weak, 
weakest  of  all.  With  the  mighty  he  can  be  the  King  of 
kings  ;  and  yet  with  the  poor  he  can  wander,  not  having 
where  to  lay  his  head.  With  quiet  Jacob  he  goes  round 
the  farm,  among  the  quiet  sheep ;  and  yet  he  ranges  with 
wild  Esau  over  battle-field,  and  desert,  and  far  unknown 
seas.    With  the  mourner  he  weeps  for  ever ;  and  yet  he 


iS4 


THE  CHRIST  CHILD. 


will  sit  as  of  old — if  he  be  but  invited — and  bless  the 
marriage-feast.  For  the  penitent  he  hangs  for  ever  on 
the  cross ;  and  yet  with  the  man  who  works  for  God  his 
Father  he  stands  for  ever  in  his  glory,  his  eyes  like  a 
flame  of  fire,  and  out  of  his  mouth  a  two-edged  sword, 
judging  the  nations  of  the  earth.  With  the  aged  and  the 
dying  he  goes  down  for  ever  into  the  grave;  and  yet 
with  you,  children,  Christ  lies  for  ever  on  his  mother's 
bosom,  and  looks  up  for  ever  into  his  mother's  face,  full 
of  young  life,  and  happiness,  and  innocence,  the  ever- 
lasting Christ-child  in  whom  you  must  believe,  whom 
you  must  love,  to  whom  you  must  offer  up  your  childish 
prayers. 

The  day  will  come  when  you  can  no  longer  think  as 
a  child,  or  pray  as  a  child,  but  put  away  childish  things. 
I  do  not  know  whether  you  will  be  the  happier  for  that 
change.  God  grant  that  you  may  be  the  better  for  it 
Meanwhile,  go  home,  and  think  of  the  baby  Jesus,  your 
Lord,  your  pattern,  your  Saviour ;  and  ask  him  to  make 
you  such  good  children  to  your  mothers,  as  the  little 
Jesus  was  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  when  he  increased  in 
knowledge  and  in  stature,  and  in  favour  both  with  God 
and  man. 


SERMON  XIX. 


CHRIST'S  BOYHOOD. 
Luke  ii.  52. 

And  Jesus  increased  in  wisdom,  and  in  stature,  and  in  favour  both 
with  God  and  man. 

T  DO  not  pretend  to  understand  these  words.  I  preach 
on  them  because  the  Church  has  appointed  them 
for  this  day.  And  most  fitly.  At  Christmas  we  think 
of  our  Lord's  birth.  What  more  reasonable,  than  that 
we  should  go  on  to  think  of  our  Lord's  boyhood  ?  To 
think  of  this  aright,  even  if  we  do  not  altogether  under- 
stand it,  ought  to  help  us  to  understand  rightly  the  in- 
carnation of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  the  right  faith  about 
which  is,  that  he  was  very  man,  of  the  substance  of  his 
mother.  Now,  if  he  were  very  and  real  man,  he  must 
have  been  also  very  and  real  babe,  very  and  real  boy, 
very  and  real  youth,  and  then  very  and  real  full-grown 
man. 

Now  it  is  not  so  easy  to  believe  that  as  it  may  seem. 
It  is  not  so  easy  to  believe. 

I  have  heard  many  preachers  preach  (without  knowing 
it),  what  used  to  be  called  the  Apollinarian  Heresy, 
which  held  that  our  Lord  had  not  a  real  human  soul,  but 
only  a  human  body ;  and  that  his  Godhead  served  him 


156  CHRIST 'S  BOYHOOD.  [SERM. 


instead  of  a  human  soul,  and  a  man's  reason,  man's  feel- 
ings. 

About  that  the  old  fathers  had  great  difficulty,  before 
they  could  make  people  understand  that  our  Lord  had 
been  a  real  babe.  It  seemed  to  people's  unclean  fancies 
something  shocking  that  our  Lord  should  have  been 
born,  as  other  children  are  born.  They  stumbled  at  the 
stumbling-block  of  the  manger  in  Bethlehem,  as  they  did 
at  the  stumbling-block  of  the  cross  on  Calvary;  and 
they  wanted  to  make  out  that  our  Lord  was  bom  into 
the  world  in  some  strange  way — I  know  not  how ; — I  do 
not  choose  to  talk  of  it  here  : — but  they  would  fancy  and 
invent  anything,  rather  than  believe  that  Jesus  was  really 
born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  made  of  the  substance  of  his 
mother.  So  that  it  was  hundreds  of  years  before  the 
fathers  of  the  Church  set  people's  minds  thoroughly  at 
rest  about  that. 

In  the  same  way,  though  not  so  much,  people  found 
it  very  hard  to  believe  that  our  Lord  grew  up  as  a  real 
human  child.  They  would  not  believe  that  he  went 
down  to  Nazareth,  and  was  subject  to  his  father  and 
mother.  People  believe  generally  now — the  Roman 
Catholics  as  well  as  we — that  our  Lord  worked  at  his 
father's  trade — that  he  himself  handled  the  carpenter's 
tools.  We  have  no  certain  proof  of  it :  but  it  is  so 
beautiful  a  thought,  that  one  hopes  it  is  true.  At  least 
our  believing  it  is  a  sign  that  we  do  believe  the  incarna- 
tion of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  more  rightly  than  most 
people  did  fifteen  hundred  years  ago.  For  then,  too 
many  of  them  would  have  been  shocked  at  the  notion. 


XIX.] 


CHRIST'S  BOYHOOD. 


iS7 


They  stumbled  at  the  carpenter's  shop,  even  as  they 
did  at  the  manger  and  at  the  cross.  And  they  invented 
false  gospels — one  of  which  especially,  had  strange  and 
fanciful  stories  about  our  Lord's  childhood — which  tried 
to  make  him  out. 

Most  of  these  stories  are  so  childish  I  do  not  like  to 
repeat  them.  One  of  them  may  serve  as  a  sample. 
Our  Lord,  it  says,  was  playing  with  other  children  of  his 
own  age,  and  making  little  birds  out  of  clay :  but  those 
which  our  Lord  made  became  alive,  and  moved,  and 
sang  like  real  birds. — Stories  put  together  just  to  give 
our  Lord  some  magical  power,  different  from  other 
children,  and  pretending  that  he  worked  signs  and 
wonders  :  which  were  just  what  he  refused  to  work. 

But  the  old  fathers  rejected  these  false  gospels  and 
their  childish  tales,  and  commanded  Christian  men  only 
to  believe  what  the  Bible  tells  us  about  our  Lord's 
childhood ;  for  that  is  enough  for  us,  and  that  will  help 
us  better  than  any  magical  stories  and  childish  fairy  tales 
of  man's  invention,  to  believe  rightly  that  God  was  made 
man,  and  dwelt  among  us. 

And  what  does  the  Bible  tell  us  ?  Very  little  indeed. 
And  it  tells  us  very  little,  because  we  were  meant  to 
know  very  little.  Trust  your  Bibles  always,  my  friends, 
and  be  sure,  if  you  were  meant  to  know  more,  the  Bible 
would  tell  you  more. 

It  tells  us  that  Jesus  grew  just  as  a  human  child 
grows,  in  body,  soul,  and  spirit. 

Then  it  tells  us  of  one  case — only  one — in  which  he 
seemed  to  act  without  his  parents'  leave.    And  as  the 


CHRIST'S  BOYHOOD. 


[SERM. 


saying  is,  the  exception  proves  the  rule.  It  is  plain  that 
his  rule  was  to  obey,  except  in  this  case ;  that  he  was 
always  subject  to  his  parents,  as  other  children  are, 
except  on  this  one  occasion.  And  even  in  this  case, 
he  went  back  with  them,  it  is  expressly  said,  and  was 
subject  to  them. 

Now,  I  do  not  pretend  to  explain  why  our  Lord 
stayed  behind  in  the  temple. 

I  cannot  explain  (who  can  ?)  the  why  and  wherefore 
of  what  I  see  people  do  in  common  daily  life. 

How  much  less  can  one  explain  why  our  Lord  did 
this  and  that,  who  was  both  man  and  God. 

But  one  reason,  and  one  which  seems  to  me  to  be 
plain,  on  the  very  face  of  St.  Luke's  words — he  stayed 
behind  to  learn ;  to  learn  all  he  could  from  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees,  the  doctors  of  the  law. 

He  told  the  people  after,  when  grown  up,  'The 
Scribes  and  Pharisees  sit  in  Moses'  seat.  All  therefore 
which  they  command  you,  that  observe  and  do.'  And 
he  was  a  Jew  himself,  and  came  to  fulfil  all  righteous- 
ness; and  therefore  he  fulfilled  such  righteousness  as 
was  customary  among  Jews  according  to  their  law  and 
religion. 

Therefore  I  do  not  like  at  all  a  great  many  pictures 
which  I  see  in  children's  Sunday  books,  which  set  the 
child  Jesus  in  the  midst,  as  on  a  throne,  holding  up  his 
hand  as  if  he  were  laying  down  the  law,  and  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees  looking  angry  and  confounded.  The 
Bible  says  not  that  they  heard  him,  but  that  he  heard 
them;  that  they  were  astonished  at  his  understanding, 


XIX.] 


CHRIST 'S  BOYHOOD. 


iS9 


not  that  they  were  confounded  and  angry.  No.  I  must 
believe  that  even  those  hard,  proud  Pharisees,  looked 
with  wonder  and  admiration  on  the  glorious  Child ;  that 
they  perhaps  felt  for  the  moment  that  a  prophet,  another 
Samuel,  had  risen  up  among  them.  And  surely  that  is 
much  more  like  the  right  notion  of  the  child  Jesus,  full 
of  meekness  and  humility;  of  Jesus,  who,  though  'he 
were  a  Son,  learnt  obedience  by  the  things  which  he 
suffered of  Jesus,  who,  while  he  increased  in  stature, 
increased  in  favour  with  man,  as  well  as  with  God :  and 
surely  no  child  can  increase  in  favour  either  with  God  or 
man,  if  he  sets  down  his  elders,  and  contradicts  and 
despises  the  teachers  whom  God  has  set  over  him.  No ; 
let  us  believe  that  when  he  said,  '  Know  ye  not  that  I 
must  be  about  my  Father's  business?'  that  a  child's  way 
of  doing  the  work  of  his  Father  in  heaven  is  to  learn  all 
that  he  can  understand  from  his  teachers,  spiritual  pastors, 
and  masters,  whom  God  the  Father  has  set  over  him. 

Therefore — and  do  listen  to  this,  children  and  young 
people — if  you  wish  really  to  think  what  Christ  has  to  do 
with  you,  you  must  remember  that  he  was  once  a  real 
human  child — not  different  outwardly  from  other  children, 
except  in  being  a  perfectly  good  child,  in  all  things  like 
as  you  are,  but  without  sin. 

Then,  whatever  happens  to  you,  you  will  have  the 
comfort  of  feeling — Christ  understands  this ;  Christ  has 
been  through  this.  Child  though  I  am,  Christ  can  be 
touched  with  the  feeling  of  my  weakness,  for  he  was 
once  a  child  like  me. 

And  then,  if  trouble,  or  sickness,  or  death  come 


i6o 


CHRIST'S  BOYHOOD. 


among  you — and  you  all  know  how  sickness  and  death 
have  come  among  you  of  late — you  may  be  cheerful  and 
joyful  still,  if  you  will  only  try  to  be  such  children  as 
Jesus  was.  Obey  your  parents,  and  be  subject  to  them, 
as  he  was ;  try  to  learn  from  your  teachers,  pastors,  and 
masters,  as  he  did ;  try  and  pray  to  increase  daily  in 
favour  both  with  God  and  man,  as  he  did :  and  then, 
even  if  death  should  come  and  take  you  before  your 
time,  you  need  not  be  afraid,  for  Jesus  Christ  is  with 
you. 

Your  childish  faults  shall  be  forgiven  you  for  Jesus' 
sake ;  your  childish  good  conduct  shall  be  accepted  for 
Jesus  Christ's  sake;  and  if  you  be  trying  to  be  good 
children,  doing  your  little  work  well  where  God  has  put 
you,  humble,  obedient,  and  teachable,  winning  love  from 
the  people  round  you,  and  from  God  your  Father  in 
heaven,  then,  I  say,  you  need  not  be  afraid  of  sickness, 
not  even  afraid  of  death,  for  whenever  it  takes  you,  it 
will  find  you  about  your  Father's  business. 


SERMON  XX. 


THE  LOCUST-SWARMS. 


Joel  ii.  12,  13. 


Therefore  also  now,  saith  the  Lord,  Turn  ye  even  to  me  with  all 
your  heart,  and  with  fasting,  and  with  weeping,  and  with  mourn- 
ing ;  and  rend  your  heart,  and  not  your  garments,  and  turn  unto 
the  Lord  your  God,  for  he  is  gracious  and  merciful,  slow  to  anger, 
and  of  great  kindness,  and  repenteth  him  of  the  evil. 


'HIS  is  one  of  the  grandest  chapters  in  the  whole 


Old  Testament,  and  one  which  may  teach  us  a 
great  deal;  and,  above  all,  teach  us  to  be  thankful  to 
God  for  the  blessings  which  we  have. 

I  think  I  can  explain  what  it  means  best  by  going 
back  to  the  chapter  before  it. 

Joel  begins  his  prophecy  by  bitter  lamentation  over 
the  mischief  which  the  swarms  of  insects  had  done ; 
such  as  had  never  been  in  his  days,  nor  in  the  days 
of  his  fathers.  What  the  palmer  worm  had  left,  the 
locust  had  eaten ;  what  the  locust  had  left,  the  canker- 
worm  had  eaten;  and  what  the  cankerworm  had  left, 
the  caterpillar  had  eaten.  Whether  these  names  are 
rightly  rendered,  or  whether  they  mean  different  sorts 
of  locusts,  or  the  locusts  in  their  different  stages  of 
growth,  crawling  at  first  and  flying  at  last,  matters  little. 
What  mischief  they  had  done  was  plain  enough.  They 


M 


162  THE  LOCUST-SWARMS.  [SERM. 


had  come  up  'a  nation  strong  and  without  number, 
whose  teeth  were  like  the  teeth  of  a  lion,  and  his  cheek- 
teeth like  those  of  a  strong  lion.  They  had  laid  his 
vines  waste,  and  barked  his  fig-tree,  and  made  its 
branches  white ;  and  all  drunkards  were  howling  and 
lamenting,  for  the  wine  crop  was  utterly  destroyed  :  and 
all  other  crops,  it  seems  likewise ;  the  corn  was  wasted, 
the  olives  destroyed;  the  seed  was  rotten  under  the 
clods,  the  granaries  empty,  the  barns  broken  down,  for 
the  corn  was  withered;  the  vine  and  fig,  pomegranate, 
palm,  and  apple,  were  all  gone ;  the  green  grass  was  all 
gone;  the  beasts  groaned,  the  herds  were  perplexed, 
because  they  had  no  pasture ;  the  flocks  of  sheep  were 
desolate.'  There  seems  to  have  been  a  dry  season  also, 
to  make  matters  worse ;  for  Joel  says  the  rivers  of  waters 
were  dried  up— likely  enough,  if  then,  as  now,  it  is  the 
dry  seasons  which  bring  the  locust-swarms.  Still  the 
locusts  had  done  the  chief  mischief.  They  came  just 
as  they  come  now  (only  in  smaller  strength,  thank  God) 
in  many  parts  of  the  East  and  of  Southern  Russia, 
darkening  the  sky,  and  shutting  out  the  very  light  of 
the  sun;  the  noise  of  their  innumerable  jaws  like  the 
noise  of  flame  devouring  the  stubble,  as  they  settled 
upon  every  green  thing,  and  gnawed  away  leaf  and  bark ; 
and  a  fire  devoured  before  them,  and  behind  them  a 
flame  burned;  the  land  was  as  the  garden  of  Eden 
before  them,  and  behind  them  a  desolate  wilderness;* 
till  there  was  not  enough  left  to  supply  the  daily  sacrifices, 

*  See,  as  a  counterpart  to  every  detail  of  Joel's,  the  admirable 
description  of  locust-swarms  in  Kohl's  Russia. 


XX.] 


THE  LOCUST-SWARMS. 


and  the  meat  offering  and  the  drink  offering  were  with- 
held from  the  house  of  God. 

But  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  us?  There  have 
never,  as  far  as  we  know,  been  any  locusts  in  England. 

And  what  has  this  to  do  with  God?  Why  does  Joel 
tell  these  Jews  that  God  sent  the  locusts,  and  bid  them 
cry  to  God  to  take  them  away  ?  For  these  locusts  are 
natural  things,  and  come  by  natural  laws.  And  there 
is  no  need  that  there  should  be  locusts  anywhere.  For 
where  the  wild  grass  plains  are  broken  up  and  properly 
cultivated,  there  the  locusts,  which  lay  their  countless 
eggs  in  the  old  turf,  disappear,  and  must  disappear. 
We  know  that  now.  We  know  that  when  the  East 
is  tilled  (as  God  grant  it  may  be  some  day)  as  thoroughly 
as  England  is,  locusts  will  be  as  unknown  there  as  here ; 
and  that  is  another  comfortable  proof  to  us  that  there  is 
no  real  curse  upon  God's  earth  :  but  that  just  as  far  as 
man  fulfils  God's  command  to  replenish  the  earth  and 
subdue  it,  so  far  he  gets  rid  of  all  manner  of  terrible 
scourges  and  curses,  which  seemed  to  him  in  the  days  of 
his  ignorance,  necessary  and  supernatural. 

How,  then,  was  Joel  right  in  saying  that  God  sent  the 
locusts  ? 

In  this  way,  my  friends. 

Suppose  you  or  I  took  cholera  or  fever.  We  know 
that  cholera  or  fever  is  preventible;  that  man  has  no 
right  to  have  these  pestilences  in  a  country,  because 
they  can  be  kept  out  and  destroyed.  But  if  you  or 
I  caught  cholera  or  fever  by  no  fault  or  folly  of  our  own, 
we  are  bound  to  say,  God  sent  me  this  sickness.    It  has 


THE  LOCUST-SWARMS. 


[SERM. 


some  private  lesson  for  me.  It  is  part  of  my  education, 
my  schooling  in  God's  school-house.  It  is  meant  to 
make  me  a  wiser  and  better  man  ;  and  that  he  can  only 
do  by  teaching  me  more  about  himself.  So  with  these 
locusts,  and  still  more  so ;  for  Joel  did  not  know,  could 
not  know,  that  these  locusts  could  be  prevented.  But 
even  if  he  had  known  that,  it  was  not  his  fault  or  folly, 
or  his  countrymen's  which  had  brought  the  locusts. 
Most  probably  they  were  tilling  the  ground  to  the  best 
of  their  knowledge.  Most  probably,  too,  these  locusts 
were  not  bred  in  Palestine  at  all ;  but  came  down  upon 
the  north-wind  (as  they  are  said  to  do  now),  from  some 
land  hundreds  of  miles  away ;  and  therefore  Joel  could 
say — Whatever  I  do  not  know  about  these  locusts,  this 
I  know;  that  God,  whose  providence  orders  all  things 
in  heaven  and  earth,  has  sent  them ;  that  he  means  to 
teach  you  a  lesson  by  them ;  that  they  are  part  of  his 
schooling  to  us  Jews ;  that  he  intends  to  make  us  wiser 
and  better  men  by  them :  and  that  he  can  only  do  by 
teaching  us  more  about  himself. 

What,  then,  does  Joel  say  about  the  locusts,  which  he 
might  say  to  you  or  me,  if  we  were  laid  down  by  cholera 
or  fever?  He  does  not  say,  these  troubles  have  come 
upon  you  from  devils,  or  evil  spirits,  or  by  any  blind 
chance  of  the  world  about  you.  He  says,  they  have 
come  on  you  from  the  Lord;  from  the  same  good,  loving, 
merciful  Lord  who  brought  your  fathers  out  of  Egypt, 
and  made  a  great  nation  of  you,  and  has  preserved  you 
to  this  day.  And  do  not  fancy  that  he  is  changed.  Do 
not  fancy  that  he  has  forgotten  you,  or  hates  you,  or 


XX.] 


THE  LOCUST-SWARMS. 


165 


has  become  cruel,  or  proud,  or  unlike  himself.  It  is  you 
who  have  forgotten  him,  and  have  shown  that  by  living 
bad  lives;  and  all  he  wishes  is,  to  drive  you  back  to 
him,  that  you  may  live  good  lives.  Turn  to  him ;  and 
you  will  find  him  unchanged ;  the  same  loving,  forgiving 
Lord  as  ever.  He  requires  no  sacrifices,  no  great  offer- 
ings on  your  part  to  win  him  round.  All  he  asks  is,  that 
you  should  confess  yourselves  in  the  wrong,  and  turn 
and  repent.  Turn  therefore  to  the  Lord  with  all  your 
heart,  and  with  weeping,  and  with  fasting,  and  with 
mourning — (which  was,  and  is  still  the  Eastern  fashion) ; 
and  rend  your  heart,  and  not  your  garments.  And 
why?  Because  the  Lord  is  very  dreadful,  angry  and 
dark,  and  has  determined  to  destroy  you  all  ?  Not  so : 
but  because  he  is  gracious  and  merciful,  slow  to  anger, 
and  of  great  kindness,  and  repenteth  him  of  the  evil. 

Yes,  my  friends :  and  this,  you  will  find,  is  at  the 
bottom  of  all  true  repentance  and  turning  to  God.  If 
you  believe  that  God  is  dark,  and  hard,  and  cruel,  you 
may  be  afraid  of  him :  but  you  cannot  repent,  cannot 
turn  to  him.  The  more  you  think  of  him  the  more  you 
will  be  terrified  at  him,  and  turn  from  him.  But  if  you 
believe  that  God  is  gracious  and  merciful,  then  you  can 
turn  to  him ;  then  you  can  repent  with  a  true  repentance, 
and  a  godly  sorrow  which  breeds  joy  and  peace  of  mind. 

So  Joel  thought,  at  least;  for  he  tells  them,  that  if 
they  will  but  turn  to  God,  if  they  will  but  confess  them- 
selves in  the  wrong,  all  shall  be  well  again,  and  b,etter 
than  before. 

Now,  if  Joel  had  been  a  heathen,  worshipping  the 


66 


THE  LOCUST-SWARMS. 


[SERil. 


false  gods  of  the  Canaanites,  he  would  have  spoken  very 
differently;  he  would  have  said,  perhaps— 

Baal,  the  true  God,  is  angry  with  you,  and  he  has 
sent  the  drought. 

Or,  Ashtoreth,  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  by  whose 
power  all  seeds  grow  and  all  creatures  breed,  is  angry 
with  you,  and  she  has  destroyed  the  seeds,  and  sent  the 
locusts. 

Or,  Ammon,  the  Lord  of  the  sheep,  is  angry,  and  he 
has  destroyed  your  flocks  and  herds. 

But  one  thing  we  know  he  would  have  said— These 
angry  gods  want  blood.  You  cannot  pacify  them  without 
human  blood.  You  must  give  them  the  most  dear  and 
precious  things  you  have — the  most  beautiful  and  pure. 
You  must  sacrifice  boys  and  girls  to  them;  and  then, 
perhaps,  they  will  be  appeased. 

We  know  this.  We  know  that  the  heathen,  whenever 
they  were  in  trouble,  took  to  human  sacrifices. 

The  Canaanites — and  the  Jews  when  they  fell  into 
idolatry — used  to  burn  their  children  in  the  fire  to 
Moloch. 

We  know  that  the  Carthaginians,  who  were  of  the 
same  blood  and  language  as  the  Canaanites,  used  human 
sacrifices;  and  that  once  when  their  city  was  in  great 
danger,  they  sacrificed  at  one  time  two  hundred  boys  of 
their  highest  families. 

We  know  that  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  who  had 
much  more  humane  and  rational  notions  about  their 
gods,  were  tempted,  in  times  of  great  distress,  to  sacrifice 
human  beings.    It  has  always  been  so.    The  old  Mexi- 


XX.] 


THE  LOCUST-SWARMS. 


:67 


cans  in  America  used  to  sacrifice  many  thousands  of 
men  and  women  every  year  to  their  idols ;  and  when 
the  Spaniards  came  and  destroyed  them  off  the  face  of 
the  earth  in  the  name  of  the  Lord — as  Joshua  did  the 
Canaanites  of  old — they  found  the  walls  of  the  idol 
temples  crusted  inches  thick  with  human  blood.  Even 
to  this  day,  the  wild  Khonds  in  the  Indian  mountains, 
and  the  Red  men  of  America,  sacrifice  human  beings  at 
times,  and,  I  fear,  very  often  indeed ;  and  believe  that 
the  gods  will  be  the  more  pleased,  and  more  certain  to 
turn  away  their  anger,  the  more  horrible  and  lingering 
tortures  they  inflict  upon  their  wretched  victims.  I  say, 
these  things  were ;  and  were  it  not  for  the  light  of  the 
Gospel,  these  things  would  be  still ;  and  when  we  hear 
of  them,  we  ought  to  bow  our  heads  to  our  Father  in 
heaven  in  thankfulness,  and  say — what  Joel  the  prophet 
taught  the  Jews  to  say  dimly  and  in  part — what  our 
Lord  Jesus  and  his  apostles  taught  us  to  say  fully  and 
perfectly — 

It  is  very  meet,  right,  and  our  bounden  duty,  at  all 
times  and  in  all  places — whether  in  joy  or  sorrow,  in 
wealth  or  in  want,  to  give  thanks  to  thee,  O  Lord,  Holy 
Father,  Almighty,  Everlasting  God. 

Through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  according  to  whose 
most  true  promise  the  Holy  Ghost  came  down  from 
heaven  upon  the  apostles,  to  teach  them  and  to  lead 
them  into  all  truth,  and  give  them  fervent  zeal,  constantly 
to  preach  the  Gospel  to  all  nations,  by  which  we  have 
been  brought  out  of  darkness  and  error  into  the  clear 
light  and  true  knowledge  of  thee  and  of  thy  Son  Jesus 
Christ. 


iCS 


THE  LOCUST-SWARMS. 


Yes,  my  friends,  this  is  the  lesson  which  we  have  to 
learn  from  Joel's  prophecy,  and  from  all  prophecies. 
This  lesson  the  old  prophets  learnt  for  themselves,  slowly 
and  dimly,  through  many  temptations  and  sorrows.  This 
lesson  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  revealed  fully,  and  left 
behind  him  to  his  apostles.  This  lesson  men  have  been 
learning  slowly  but  surely  in  all  the  hundreds  of  years 
which  have  past  since ;  to  know  that  there  is  one  Father 
in  heaven,  of  whom  are  all  things,  and  one  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  by  whom  are  all  things ;  that  they  may,  in  all  the 
chances  and  changes  of  this  mortal  life,  in  weal  and  in 
woe,  in  light  and  in  darkness,  in  plenty  and  in  want, 
look  up  to  that  heavenly  Father  who  so  loved  them  that 
he  spared  not  his  only  begotten  Son,  but  freely  gave  him 
for  them,  and  say,  'Father,  not  our  will  but  thine  be 
done.  All  things  come  from  thy  hand,  and  therefore 
all  things  come  from  thy  love.  We  have  received  good 
from  thy  hand,  and  shall  we  not  receive  evil  ?  Though 
thou  slay  us,  yet  will  we  trust  in  thee.  For  thou  art 
gracious  and  merciful,  long-suffering  and  of  great  good- 
ness. Thou  art  loving  to  every  man,  and  thy  mercy  is 
over  all  thy  works.  Thou  art  righteous  in  all  thy  ways, 
and  holy  in  all  thy  doings.  Thou  art  nigh  to  all  that 
call  on  thee;  thou  wilt  hear  their  cry,  and  wilt  help 
them.  For  all  thou  desirest,  when  thou  sendest  trouble 
on  them,  is  to  make  them  wiser  and  better  men.  And 
that  thou  canst  only  make  them  by  teaching  them  more 
about  thyself! 


SERMON  XXI. 


SALVATION. 


Isaiah  lix.  15,  16. 


And  the  Lord  saw  it,  and  it  displeased  him  that  there  was  no  judg- 
ment. And  he  saw  that  there  was  no  man,  and  wondered  that 
there  was  no  intercessor :  therefore  his  arm  brought  salvation  unto 
him,  and  his  righteousness  it  sustained  him. 


'HIS  text  is  often  held  to  be  a  prophecy  of  the 


coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  I  certainly 
believe  that  it  is  a  prophecy  of  his  coming,  and  of  some- 
thing better  still;  namely,  his  continual  presence;  and 
a  very  noble  and  deep  one,  and  one  from  which  we  may 
learn  a  great  deal. 

We  may  learn  from  it  what  'salvation'  really  is. 
What  Christ  came  to  save  men  from,  and  how  he  saves 
them. 

The  common  notion  of  salvation  now-a-days  is  this. 
That  salvation  is  some  arrangement  or  plan,  by  which 
people  are  to  escape  hell-fire  by  having  Christ's  righteous- 
ness imputed  to  them  without  their  being  righteous  them- 
selves. 

Now,  I  have  nothing  to  say  about  that  this  morning. 
It  may  be  so ;  or,  again,  it  may  not ;  I  read  a  good  many 
things  in  books  every  week  the  sense  of  which  I  cannot 


17°  SALVATION.  [SERM. 


understand.  At  all  events  it  is  not  the  salvation  of  which 
Isaiah  speaks  here. 

For  Isaiah  tells  us  very  plainly,  from  what  God  was 
going  to  save  these  Jews.  Not  from  hell-fire — nothing 
is  said  about  it :  but  simply  from  their  sins.  As  it  is 
written,  'Thou  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus,  for  he  shall 
save  his  people  from  their  sins'  ■ 

The  case  is  very  simple,  if  you  will  look  at  Isaiah's 
own  words.  These  Jews  had  become  thoroughly  bad 
men.  They  were  not  ungodly  men.  They  were  very 
religious,  orthodox,  devout  men.  They  'sought  God 
daily,  and  delighted  to  know  his  ways,  like  a  nation  that 
did  righteousness,  and  forsook  not  the  ordinances  of 
their  God  :  they  asked  of  him  the  ordinances  of  justice; 
they  took  delight  in  approaching  unto  God.' 

But  unfortunately  for  them,  and  for  all  with  whom 
they  had  to  do,  after  they  had  asked  of  God  the  ordi- 
nances of  justice,  they  never  thought  of  doing  them ; 
and  in  spite  of  all  their  religion,  they  were,  Isaiah  tells 
them  plainly,  rogues  and  scoundrels,  none  of  whom 
stood  up  for  justice,  or  pleaded  for  truth,  but  trusted  in 
vanity,  and  spoke  lies.  Their  feet  ran  to  evil,  and  they 
made  haste  to  shed  innocent  blood ;  the  way  of  peace 
they  knew  not,  and  they  had  made  themselves  crooked 
paths,  speaking  oppression  and  revolt,  and  conceiving 
and  uttering  words  of  falsehood ;  so  that  judgment  was 
turned  away  backward,  and  justice  stood  afar  off,  for 
truth  was  fallen  in  the  street,  and  equity  could  not  enter. 
Yea,  truth  failed ;  and  he  that  departed  from  evil  made 
himself  a  prey  (or  as  some  render  it)  was  accounted  mad. 


XXI.] 


SAL  VA  TION. 


7 


And  this  is  in  the  face  of  all  their  religion  and  their 
church-going.  Verily,  my  friends,  fallen  human  beings 
were  much  the  same  then  as  now;  and  there  are  too 
many  in  England  and  elsewhere  now  who  might  sit  for 
that  portrait. 

But  how  was  the  Lord  going  to  save  these  hypocritical, 
false,  unjust  men  ?  Was  he  going  to  say  to  them,  Believe 
certain  doctrines  about  me,  and  you  shall  escape  all 
punishment  for  your  sins,  and  my  righteousness  shall  be 
imputed  to  you  ?  We  do  not  read  a  word  of  that.  We 
read — not  that  the  Lord's  righteousness  was  imputed  to 
these  bad  men,  but  that  it  sustained  the  Lord  himself. — 
Ah  !  there  is  a  depth,  if  you  will  receive  it — a  depth  of 
hope  and  comfort — a  well-spring  of  salvation  for  us  and 
all  mankind. 

You  may  be  false  and  dishonest,  saith  the  Lord,  but 
I  am  honest  and  true.  Unjust,  but  I  am  just;  un- 
righteous, but  I  am  righteous.  If  men  will  not  set  the 
world  right,  then  I  will,  saith  the  Lord.  My  righteous- 
ness shall  sustain  me,  and  keep  me  up  to  my  duty,  though 
man  may  forget  his.  To  me  all  power  is  given  in  heaven 
and  earth,  and  I  will  use  my  power  aright. 

If  men  are  bringing  themselves  and  their  country, 
their  religion,  their  church  to  ruin  by  hypocrisy,  false- 
hood, and  injustice,  as  those  Jews  were,  then  the  Lord's 
arm  will  bring  salvation.  He  will  save  them  from  their 
sins  by  the  only  possible  way — namely,  by  taking  their 
sins  away,  and  making  those  of  them  who  will  take  his 
lesson  good  and  righteous  men  instead.  It  may  be  a 
very  terrible  lesson  of  vengeance  and  fury,  as  Isaiah 


172  SALVATION.  [SERM. 


says.  It  may  unmask  many  a  hypocrite,  confound  many 
a  politic,  and  frustrate  many  a  knavish  trick,  till  the 
Lord's  salvation  may  look  at  first  sight  much  more  like 
destruction  and  misery ;  for  his  fan  is  in  his  hand,  and 
he  will  thoroughly  purge  his  floor,  and  gather  the  wheat 
into  his  garner :  but  the  chaff  he  will  burn  up  with  un- 
quenchable fire. 

But  his  purpose  is,  to  save — to  save  his  people  from 
their  sins,  to  purge  out  of  them  all  hypocrisy,  falsehood, 
injustice,  and  make  of  them  honest  men,  true  men,  just 
men — men  created  anew  after  his  likeness.  And  this  is 
the  meaning  of  his  salvation ;  and  is  the  only  salvation 
worth  having,  for  this  life  or  the  life  to  come. 

Oh  my  friends,  let  us  pray  to  God,  whatsoever  else 
he  does  for  us,  to  make  honest  men  of  us.  For  if  we  be 
not  honest  men,  we  shall  surely  come  to  ruin,  and  bring 
all  we  touch  to  ruin,  past  hope  of  salvation.  Whatsoever 
denomination  or  church  we  belong  to,  it  will  be  all  the 
same :  we  may  call  ourselves  children  of  Abraham,  of 
the  Holy  Catholic  Church  (which  God  preserve),  or  what 
we  will :  but  when  the  axe  is  laid  to  the  root  of  the  tree, 
every  tree  that  brings  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down, 
and  is  cast  into  the  fire ;  and  woe  to  the  foolish  fowl  who 
have  taken  shelter  under  the  branches  of  it. 

And  we  who  are  coming  to  the  holy  communion  this 
day — let  us  ask  ourselves,  What  do  we  want  there?  Do 
we  want  to  be  made  good  men,  true,  honest,  just?  Do 
we  want  to  be  saved  from  our  sins  ?  or  merely  from  the 
punishment  of  them  after  we  die  ?  Do  we  want  to  be 
made  sharers  in  that  everlasting  righteousness  of  Christ, 


XXI.] 


SALVATION. 


73 


which  sustains  him,  and  sustains  the  whole  world  too, 
and  prevents  it  from  becoming  a  cage  of  wild  beasts, 
tearing  each  other  to  pieces  by  war  and  oppression,  false- 
hood and  injustice?  Then  we  shall  get  what  we  want; 
and  more.  But  if  not,  then  we  shall  not  get  what  we 
want,  not  discerning  that  the  Lord's  body  is  a  righteous 
and  just  and  good  body;  and  his  blood  a  purifying 
blood,  which  purifies  not  merely  from  the  punishment 
of  our  sins,  but  from  our  sins  themselves. 

And  bear  in  mind,  my  friends,  when  times  grow  evil, 
and  rogues  and  hypocrites  abound,  and  all  the  world 
seems  going  wrong,  there  is  one  arm  to  fall  back  upon, 
and  one  righteousness  to  fall  back  upon,  which  can  never 
fail  you,  or  the  world. — 

The  arm  of  the  Lord,  which  brings  salvation  to  him, 
that  he  may  give  it  to  all  who  are  faithful  and  true; 
which  cannot  weaken  or  grow  weary,  till  it  has  cast  out 
of  his  kingdom  all  which  offends,  and  whosoever  loveth 
or  maketh  a  lie. — 

And  the  eternal  righteousness  of  the  Lord,  which  will 
do  justice  by  every  living  soul  of  man,  and  which  will 
never  fail  or  fade  away,  because  it  is  his  own  property, 
belonging  to  his  own  essence,  which  if  he  gave  up  for 
a  moment  he  would  give  up  being  God.  Yes,  God  is 
good,  though  every  man  were  bad ;  God  is  just,  though 
every  man  were  a  rogue ;  God  is  true,  though  every  man 
were  a  liar ;  and  as  long  as  that  is  so,  all  is  safe  for  you 
and  me,  and  the  whole  world  : — if  we  will. 


SERMON  XXII. 


THE  BEGINNING  AND  END  OF  WISDOM. 


Proverbs  ii.  2,  3,  5. 


If  thou  incline  thine  ear  to  wisdom,  and  apply  thine  heart  to  under- 
standing; yea,  if  thou  criest  after  wisdom,  and  liftest  up  thy  voice 
for  understanding;  then  shalt  thou  understand  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  and  find  the  knowledge  of  God. 


"\  X  7E  shall  see  something  curious  in  the  last  of  these 
verses,  when  we  compare  it  with  one  in  the 
chapter  before.  The  chapter  before  says,  that  the  fear 
of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom.  That  if  we 
wish  to  be  wise  at  all,  we  must  begin  by  fearing  God. 
But  this  chapter  says,  that  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  end 
of  wisdom  too ;  for  it  says,  that  if  we  seek  earnestly  after 
knowledge  and  understanding,  then  we  shall  understand 
the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  find  the  knowledge  of  God. 

So,  according  to  Solomon,  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the 
beginning  of  wisdom,  and  the  end  likewise.    It  is  the 
starting  point  from  which  we  are  to  set  out,  and  the  goal 
toward  which  we  are  to  run. 
How  can  that  be? 

If  by  wisdom  Solomon  meant  high  doctrines,  what  we 
call  theology  and  divinity,  it  would  seem  more  easy  to 
understand :  but  he  does  not  mean  that,  at  least  in  our 
sense ;  for  his  rules  and  proverbs  about  wisdom  are  not 


THE  BEGINNING  AND  END  OF  WISDOM  175 


about  divinity  and  high  doctrines,  but  about  plain  prac- 
tical every-day  life ;  shrewd  maxims  as  to  how  to  behave 
in  this  life,  so  as  to  thrive  and  prosper  in  it. 

And  yet  again  they  must  be  about  divinity  and 
theology  in  some  sense.  For  what  does  he  say  about 
wisdom  in  the  text  ?  '  If  thou  search  after  wisdom,  thou 
shalt  understand  the  fear  of  the  Lord ;'  and  is  that  all  ? 
No.  He  says  more  than  that.  Thou  shalt  find,  he  says, 
the  knowledge  of  God.  To  know  God.— What  higher 
theology  can  there  be  than  that  ?  It  is  the  end  of  all 
divinity,  of  all  religion.  It  is  eternal  life  itself,  to  know 
God.  If  a  man  knows  God,  he  is  in  heaven  there  and 
then,  though  he  be  walking  in  flesh  and  blood  upon  this 
mortal  earth. 

How  can  all  this  be  ? 

Let  us  consider  the  words  once  again. 

Solomon  does  not  say,  To  understand  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom,  but  simply  the  fear  of 
the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  it.  But  the  end  of  wisdom, 
he  says,  is  not  merely  to  fear  the  Lord,  but  to  under- 
stand the  fear  of  the  Lord. 

This  then,  I  suppose,  is  his  meaning  :  We  are  to  begin 
life  by  fearing  God,  without  understanding  it :  as  a  child 
obeys  his  parents  without  understanding  the  reason  of 
their  commands. 

Therefore,  says  Solomon  to  the  young  man,  begin 
with  that — with  the  solemn,  earnest,  industrious,  God- 
fearing frame  of  mind — without  that  you  will  gain  no 
wisdom.  You  may  be  as  clever  as  you  will,  but  if  you 
are  reckless  and  wild,  you  will  gain  no  wisdom.    If  you 


176  THE  BEGINNING  AND  [serm. 


are  violent  and  impatient ;  if  you  are  selfish  and  self-con- 
ceited; if  you  are  weak  and  self-indulgent,  given  up  to 
your  own  pleasures,  your  cleverness  will  be  of  no  use  to 
you.  It  will  be  only  hurtful  to  you  and  to  others.  A 
clever  fool  is  common  enough,  and  dangerous  enough. 
For  he  is  one  who  never  sees  things  as  they  really  are, 
but  as  he  would  like  them  to  be.  A  bad  man,  let  him 
be  as  clever  as  he  may,  is  like  one  in  a  fever,  whose 
mind  is  wandering,  who  is  continually  seeing  figures  and 
visions,  and  mistaking  them  for  actual  and  real  things ; 
and  so  with  all  his  cleverness,  he  lives  in  a  dream,  and 
makes  mistake  upon  mistake,  because  he  knows  not 
things  as  they  are,  and  sees  nothing  by  the  light  of 
Christ,  who  is  the  light  of  the  world,  from  whom  alone 
all  true  understanding  comes. 

Begin  then  with  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  Make  up  your 
mind  to  do  what  you  are  told  is  right,  whether  you  know 
the  reason  of  it  or  not.  Take  for  granted  that  your 
elders  know  better  than  you,  and  have  faith  in  them,  in 
your  teachers,  in  your  Bible,  in  the  words  of  wise  men 
who  have  gone  before  you :  and  do  right,  whatever  it 
costs  you. 

If  you  do  not  always  know  the  reason  at  first,  you 
will  know  it  in  due  time,  and  get,  so  Solomon  says,  to 
understand  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  In  due  time  you  will 
see  from  experience  that  you  are  in  the  path  of  life. 
You  will  be  able  to  say  with  St.  Paul,  I  know  in  whom  I 
have  believed ;  and  with  Job,  '  Before  I  heard  of  thee,  O 
Lord,  with  the  hearing  of  the  ear:  but  now  mine  eye 
seeth  thee.' 


XXII.]  END  OF  WISDOM.  177 


And  why  ?  Because,  says  Solomon,  God  himself  will 
show  you,  and  teach  you  by  his  Holy  Spirit.  As  our 
Lord  says,  'The  Holy  Spirit  shall  take  of  mine,  and 
show  it  unto  you,  and  lead  you  into  all  truth.'  And 
therefore  Solomon  talks  of  wisdom,  who  is  the  Holy 
Ghost  the  Comforter,  as  a  person  who  teaches  men, 
whose  delight  is  with  the  sons  of  men.  He  speaks  of 
wisdom  as  calling  to  men.  He  speaks  of  her  as  a  being 
who  is  seeking  for  those  that  seek  her,  who  will  teach 
those  who  seek  after  her. 

Yes,  this,  my  friends,  is,  I  believe,  the  secret  of  life. 
At  least  it  is  the  secret  both  of  Solomon's  teaching,  and 
our  Lord's,  and  St.  Paul's,  and  St.  John's,  that  true  wisdom 
is  not  a  thing  which  man  finds  out  for  himself,  but  which 
God  teaches  him.  This  is  the  secret  of  life — to  believe 
that  God  is  your  Father,  schooling  and  training  you  from 
your  cradle  to  your  grave ;  and  then  to  please  him  and 
obey  him  in  all  things,  lifting  up  daily  your  hands  and 
thankful  heart,  entreating  him  to  purge  the  eyes  of  your 
soul,  and  give  you  the  true  wisdom,  which  is  to  see  all 
things  as  they  really  are,  and  as  God  himself  sees  them. 
If  you  do  that,  you  may  believe  that  God  will  teach  you 
more  and  more  how  to  do,  in  all  the  affairs  of  life,  that 
which  is  right  in  his  sight,  and  therefore  good  for  you. 
He  will  teach  you  more  and  more  to  see  in  all  which 
happens  to  you,  all  which  goes  on  around  you,  his 
fatherly  love,  his  patient  mercy,  his  providential  care  for 
all  his  creatures.  He  will  reward  you  by  making  you 
more  and  more  partaker  of  his  Holy  Spirit  and  of  truth, 
by  which,  seeing  everything  as  it  really  is,  you  will  at 

N 


I7o 


THE  BEGINNING  AND 


[SERM. 


last — if  not  in  this  life,  still  in  the  life  to  come — grow  to 
see  God  himself,  who  has  made  all  things  according  to 
his  own  eternal  mind,  that  they  may  be  a  pattern  of  his 
unspeakable  glory;  and  beyond  that,  who  needs  to  see? 
For  to  know  God,  and  to  see  God,  is  eternal  life  itself. 

And  this  true  wisdom,  which  lies  in  knowing  God, 
and  understanding  his  laws,  is  within  the  reach  of  the 
simplest  person  here.  As  I  told  you,  cleverness  without 
godliness  will  not  give  it  you;  but  godliness  without 
cleverness  may. 

Therefore  let  no  one  say,  'We  are  no  scholars,  nor 
philosophers,  and  we  never  can  be.  Are  we,  then,  shut 
out  from  this  heavenly  wisdom  ?'  God  forbid,  my  friends. 
God  is  no  respecter  of  persons.  Only  remember  one 
thing ;  and  by  it  you,  too,  may  attain  to  the  heavenly 
wisdom.  I  said  that  the  fear  of  the  Lord  was  the  be- 
ginning of  wisdom.  I  said  that  the  fear  of  the  Lord  was 
the  end  of  wisdom.  Now  let  the  fear  of  the  Lord  be  the 
middle  of  wisdom  also,  and  walk  in  it  from  youth  to  old 
age,  and  all  will  be  well. 

That  is  the  short  way,  the  royal  road  to  wisdom.  To 
be  good  and  to  do  good.  To  keep  the  single  eye — the 
eye  which  does  not  look  two  ways  at  once,  and  want  to 
go  two  ways  at  once,  as  too  many  do  who  want  to  serve 
God  and  mammon,  and  to  be  good  people  and  bad 
people  too  both  at  once.  But  the  single  eye  of  the 
man,  who  looks  straightforward  at  everything,  and  has 
made  up  his  mind  what  it  ought  to  do,  and  will  do,  so 
help  him  God.  As  stout  old  Joshua  said,  '  Choose  ye 
whom  ye  will  serve :  but  as  lor  me  and  my  house,  we 


XXII.] 


END  OF  WISDOM. 


179 


will  serve  the  Lord.'  That  is  the  single  eye,  which  wants 
simply  to  know  what  is  right,  and  do  what  is  right. 

And  if  a  man  has  that  he  may  be  a  very  wise  man 
indeed,  though  he  can  neither  read  nor  write. 

It  is  good  for  a  man,  of  course,  to  be  able  to  read, 
that  he  may  know  what  wiser  men  than  he  have  said : 
above  all,  that  he  may  know  what  his  Bible  says.  But, 
even  if  he  cannot  read,  let  him  fear  God,  and  set  his 
heart  earnestly  to  know  and  do  his  duty.  Let  him  keep 
his  soul  pure,  and  his  body  also  (for  nothing  hinders  that 
heavenly  wisdom  like  loose  living),  and  he  will  be  wise 
enough  for  this  world,  and  for  the  world  to  come  likewise. 

I  tell  you,  my  friends,  I  have  known  women,  who 
were  neither  clever  women,  nor  learned  women,  nor  any- 
thing except  good  women,  whose  souls  were  pure  and 
full  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  who  lived  lives  of  prayer, 
and  sat  all  day  long  with  Mary  at  the  feet  of  Jesus. — I 
have  known  such  women  to  have  at  times  a  wisdom 
which  all  books  and  all  sciences  on  earth  cannot  give. 
I  have  known  them  give  opinions  on  deep  matters  which 
learned  and  experienced  men  were  glad  enough  to  take. 
I  have  known  them  have,  in  a  wonderful  degree,  that 
wisdom  which  the  Scripture  calls  discerning  of  spirits, 
being  able  to  see  into  people's  hearts;  knowing  at  a 
glance  what  they  were  thinking  of,  what  made  them  un- 
happy, how  to  manage  and  comfort  them;  knowing  at 
a  glance  whether  they  were  honest  or  not,  pure-minded 
or  not — a  precious  and  heavenly  wisdom,  which  comes, 
as  I  believe,  from  none  other  than  the  inspiration  of  the 
Spirit  of  Christ,  who  is  the  discerner  of  the  secret 


I  So     THE  BEGINNING  AND  END  OF  WISDOM. 


thoughts  of  all  hearts :  and  when  I  have  seen  such 
people,  altogether  simple  and  humble,  and  yet  most  wise 
and  prudent,  because  they  were  full  of  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  God,  I  could  not  but  ask 
— Why  should  we  not  be  all  like  them  ? 

My  friends,  I  believe  that  we  may  all  be  more  or 
less  like  them,  if  we  will  make  the  fear  of  the  Lord  the 
beginning  of  our  wisdom,  and  the  middle  of  our  wisdom, 
and  the  end  of  our  wisdom. 

Nine-tenths  of  the  mistakes  we  make  in  life  come 
from  forgetting  the  fear  of  God  and  the  law  of  God,  and 
saying  not,  I  will  do  what  is  right :  but — I  will  do  what 
will  profit  me ;  I  will  do  what  I  like.  If  we  would  say 
to  ourselves  manfully  instead  all  our  lives  through,  I  will 
learn  the  will  of  God,  and  do  it,  whatsoever  it  cost  me ; 
we  should  find  in  our  old  age  that  God's  Holy  Spirit  was 
indeed  a  guide  and  a  comforter,  able  and  willing  to  lead 
us  into  all  truth  which  was  needful  for  us.  We  should 
find  St.  Paul  had  spoken  truth,  when  he  said  that  godli- 
ness has  the  promise  of  this  life,  as  well  as  of  that  which 
is  to  come. 


SERMON  XXIII. 


HUMAN  NATURE. 

( Septuagesima  Sunday. ) 

Genesis  i.  27. 

So  God  created  man  in  his  own  image ;  in  the  image  of  God  created 
he  him  ;  male  and  female  created  he  them. 

f~\  N  this  Sunday  the  Church  bids  us  to  begin  to  read 
the  book  of  Genesis,  and  hear  how  the  world  was 
made,  and  how  man  was  made,  and  what  the  world  is, 
and  who  man  is. 
And  why  ? 

To  prepare  us,  I  think,  for  Lent,  and  Passion  week, 
Good  Friday,  and  Easter  day. 

For  you  must  know  what  a  thing  ought  to  be,  before 
you  can  know  what  it  ought  not  to  be ;  you  must  know 
what  health  is,  before  you  can  know  what  disease  is ; 
you  must  know  how  and  why  a  good  man  is  good,  before 
you  can  know  how  and  why  a  bad  man  is  bad.  You 
must  know  what  man  fell  from,  before  you  can  know 
what  man  has  fallen  to ;  and  so  you  must  hear  of  man's 
creation,  before  you  can  understand  man's  fall. 

Now  in  Lent  we  lament  and  humble  ourselves  for 
man's  fall.  In  Passion  week  we  remember  the  death 
and  suffering  of  our  blessed  Lord,  by  which  he  redeemed 


HUMAN  NATURE. 


[SERM. 


us  from  the  fall.  On  Easter  day  we  give  him  thanks 
and  glory  for  having  conquered  death  and  sin,  and  rising 
up  as  the  new  Adam,  of  whom  St.  Paul  writes,  'As  in 
Adam  all  died,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive.' 

And  therefore  to  prepare  us  for  Lent  and  Passion 
week,  and  Easter  day,  we  begin  this  Sunday  to  read  who 
the  first  man  was,  and  what  he  was  like  when  he  came 
into  the  world. 

Now  we  all  say  that  man  was  created  good,  righteous, 
innocent,  holy.  But  do  you  fancy  that  man  had  any 
goodness  or  righteousness  of  his  own,  so  that  he  could 
stand  up  and  say,  I  am  good ;  I  can  take  care  of  myself ; 
I  can  do  what  is  right  in  my  own  strength  ? 

If  you  fancy  so,  you  fancy  wrong.  The  book  of 
Genesis,  and  the  text,  tell  us  that  it  was  not  so.  It  tells 
us  that  man  could  not  be  good  by  himself;  that  the 
Lord  God  had  to  tell  him  what  to  do,  and  what  not  to 
do ;  that  the  Lord  God  visited  him  and  spoke  to  him : 
so  that  he  could  only  do  right  by  faith  :  by  trusting  the 
Lord,  and  believing  him,  and  believing  that  what  the 
Lord  told  him  was  the  right  thing  for  him ;  and  it  tells 
us  that  he  fell  for  want  of  faith,  by  not  believing  the 
Lord  and  not  believing  that  what  the  Lord  told  him  was 
right  for  him.  So  he  was  holy,  and  stood  safe,  only 
as  long  as  he  did  not  stand  alone :  but  the  moment  that 
he  tried  to  stand  alone  he  fell.  So  that  it  was  with 
Adam  as  it  is  with  you  and  me.  The  just  man  can  only 
live  by  faith. 

And  St.  John  explains  this  more  fully,  when  he  tells 
us  that  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  the  Word  of  God  whom 


XXIII.] 


HUMAN  NATURE. 


I83 


Adam  heard  walking  among  the  trees  of  the  garden,  was 
our  blessed  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  was  the  life  of  Adam 
and  all  men,  and  the  light  of  Adam  and  all  men.  All 
death  and  misery,  and  all  ignorance  and  darkness,  come 
at  first  from  forgetting  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  forget- 
ting that  he  is  about  our  path  and  about  our  bed,  and 
spying  out  all  our  ways ;  as  St.  John  says,  that  Christ's 
light  is  always  shining  in  the  darkness  of  this  world,  but 
the  darkness  comprehendeth  it  not;  that  he  came  to  his 
own,  but  his  own  received  him  not;  but  as  many  as 
received  him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to  become  the 
sons  of  God,  as  he  gave  to  man  at  first ;  for  St.  Luke 
says,  that  Adam  was  the  Son  of  God.  But  a  son  must 
depend  on  his  father ;  and  therefore  man  was  sent  into 
the  world  to  depend  on  God.  So  do  not  fancy  that 
man  before  he  fell  could  do  without  God's  grace,  though 
he  cannot  now.  If  man  had  never  fallen,  he  would 
have  been  just  as  much  in  need  of  God's  grace  to  keep 
him  from  falling.  To  deny  that  is  the  root  of  what 
is  called  the  Pelagian  heresy.  Therefore  the  Church 
has  generally  said,  and  said  most  truly,  that  'Adam 
stood  by  grace  in  Paradise  j'  and  had  a  '  supernatural 
gift ;'  and  that  as  long  as  he  used  that  gift,  he  was  safe, 
and  only  so  long. 

Now  what  does  supernatural  mean  ? 

It  means  '  above  nature.' 

Adam  had  a  human  nature  :  but  he  wanted  something 
to  keep  him  above  that  nature,  lest  he  should  die,  as  all 
natural  things  on  earth  must.  Trees  and  flowers,  birds 
and  beasts,  yea,  the  great  earth  itself  must  die,  and  have 
an  end  in  time,  because  it  has  had  a  beginning. 


HUMAN  NA  TURE. 


[SERM. 


Man  had  and  has  still  a  human  nature;  the  most 
beautiful,  noble,  and  perfect  nature  in  the  world;  high 
above  the  highest  animals  in  rank,  beauty,  understanding, 
and  feelings.  Human  nature  is  made,  so  the  Bible  tells 
us,  in  some  mysterious  way,  after  the  likeness  of  God ; 
of  Christ,  the  eternal  Son  of  man,  who  is  in  heaven ;  for 
the  Bible  speaks  of  the  Word  or  Voice  of  God  as  appear- 
ing to  man  in  something  of  a  human  voice :  reasoning 
with  him  as  man  reasons  with  man ;  and  feeling  toward 
him  human  feelings.  That  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Bible ; 
of  David  and  the  prophets,  just  as  much  as  of  Genesis 
or  of  St.  Paul. 

That  is  a  great  mystery  and  a  great  glory :  but  that 
alone  could  not  make  man  good,  could  not  even  keep 
him  alive. 

For  God  made  man  for  something  more  noble  and 
blessed  than  to  follow  even  his  own  lofty  human  nature. 
God  made  the  animals  to  follow  their  natures  each  after 
its  kind,  and  to  do  each  what  it  liked,  without  sin.  But 
he  made  man  to  do  more  than  that;  to  do  more  than 
what  he  likes ;  namely,  to  do  what  he  ought.  God  made 
man  to  love  him,  to  obey  him,  to  copy  him,  by  doing 
God's  will,  and  living  God's  life,  lovingly,  joyfully,  and 
of  his  own  free  will,  as  a  son  follows  the  father  whose 
will  he  delights  to  do. 

All  animals  God  made  to  live  and  multiply,  each  after 
their  kind  :  and  man  likewise  :  but  the  animals  he  made 
to  die  again,  and  fresh  generations,  ay,  and  fresh  kinds 
of  animals  to  take  their  place,  and  do  their  work,  as 
we  know  has  happened  again  and  again,  both  before  and 


XXIII.] 


HUMAN  NA  TURE. 


since  man  came  upon  the  earth.  But  of  man  the  Bible 
says,  that  he  was  not  meant  to  die :  that  into  him  God 
breathed  the  breath,  or  spirit,  of  life  :  of  that  life  of  men 
who  is  Jesus  Christ  the  Lord ;  that  in  Christ  man  might 
be  the  Son  of  God.  To  man  he  gave  the  life  of  the 
soul,  the  moral  and  spiritual  life,  which  is — to  do  justly, 
and  to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  with  his  God ; 
the  life  which  is  always  tending  upward  to  the  source 
from  which  it  came,  and  longing  to  return  to  God  who 
gave  it,  and  to  find  rest  in  him.  For  in  God  alone, 
in  the  assurance  of  God's  love  to  us,  and  in  the  know- 
ledge that  we  are  living  the  life  of  God,  can  a  man's 
spirit  find  rest.  So  St.  Augustine  found,  through  so 
many  bitter  experiences,  when  (as  he  tells  us)  he  tried 
to  find  rest  and  comfort  in  all  God's  creatures  one  after 
another,  and  yet  never  found  them  till  he  found  God,  or 
rather  was  found  by  God,  and  illuminated  (so  he  says 
himself)  with  that  grace  which  by  the  fall  he  lost 

What  then  does  holy  baptism  mean  ?  It  means  that 
God  lifts  us  up  again  to  that  honour  from  whence  Adam 
fell.  That  as  Adam  lost  the  honour  of  being  God's  son, 
so  Jesus  Christ  restores  to  us  that  honour.  That  as 
Adam  lost  the  supernatural  grace  in  which  he  stood, 
so  God  for  Christ's  sake  freely  gives  us  back  that  grace, 
that  we  may  stand  by  faith  in  that  Christ,  the  Word 
of  God,  whom  Adam  disbelieved  and  fell  away. 

Baptism  says,  You  are  not  true  and  right  men  by 
nature ;  you  are  only  fallen  men — men  in  your  wrong 
place  :  but  by  grace  you  become  men  indeed,  true  men  ; 
men  living  as  man  was  meant  to  live,  by  faith,  which  is 


1 86  HUMAN  NATURE.  [SERM. 


the  gift  of  God.  For  without  grace  man  is  like  a  stream 
when  the  fountain  head  is  stopped ;  it  stops  too — lies  in 
foul  puddles,  decays,  and  at  last  dries  up :  to  keep  the 
stream  pure  and  living  and  flowing,  the  fountain  above 
must  flow,  and  feed  it  for  ever. 

And  so  it  is  with  man.  Man  is  the  stream,  Christ  is 
the  fountain  of  life.  Parted  from  him  mankind  becomes 
foul  and  stagnant  in  sin  and  ignorance,  and  at  last  dries 
up  and  perishes,  because  there  is  no  life  in  them.  Joined 
to  him  in  holy  baptism,  mankind  lives,  spreads,  grows 
becomes  stronger,  better,  wiser  year  by  year,  each  gener- 
ation of  his  church  teaching  the  one  which  comes  after, 
as  our  Lord  says,  not  only,  '  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him 
come  to  me  and  drink  f  but  also,  '  He  that  believeth  in 
me,  out  of  him  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water.' 

Yes,  my  brethren,  if  you  want  to  see  what  man  is,  you 
must  not  look  at  the  heathens,  who  are  in  a  state  of 
fallen  and  corrupt  nature,  but  at  Christians,  who  are  in 
a  state  of  grace ;  for  they  only  (those  of  them,  I  mean, 
who  are  true  to  God  and  themselves),  give  us  any  true 
notion  of  what  man  can  be  and  should  be. 

Heathendom  is  the  foul  and  stagnant  pool,  parted 
from  Christ,  the  Fount  of  life.  Christendom,  in  spite  of 
all  its  sins  and  short-comings,  is  the  stream  always  fed 
from  the  heavenly  Fountain.  And  holy  baptism  is  the 
river  of  the  water  of  life,  which  St.  John  saw  in  the 
Revelations,  clear  as  crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the 
throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb,  the  trees  of  which 
are  for  the  healing  of  the  nations.  And  when  that  river 
shall  have  spread  over  the  world,  there  shall  be  no  more 


XXIII.] 


HUMAN  NA  TURE. 


8? 


curse,  but  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb  shall 
be  in  the  city  of  God ;  and  the  nations  of  them  that 
are  saved  shall  grow  to  glory  and  blessedness,  such 
as  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  hath  entered 
into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive,  but  God  hath  prepared 
for  those  who  love  him. 

Oh,  may  God  hasten  that  day !  May  he  accomplish 
the  number  of  his  elect  and  hasten  his  kingdom,  and  the 
day  when  there  shall  not  be  a  heathen  soul  on  earth,  but 
all  shall  know  him  from  the  least  to  the  greatest,  and  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord  shall  cover  the  earth,  as  the 
waters  cover  the  sea ! 

Then — when  all  men  are  brought  into  the  fold  of 
Christ's  holy  Church — then  will  they  be  men  indeed ; 
men  not  after  nature,  but  after  grace,  and  the  likeness  of 
Christ,  and  the  stature  of  perfect  men :  and  then  what 
shall  happen  to  this  earth  matters  little ;  no,  not  if  the 
earth  and  all  the  works  therein,  beautiful  though  they  be, 
be  burned  up ;  for  though  this  world  perish,  man  would 
still  have  his  portion  sure  in  the  city  of  God  which  is 
eternal  in  the  heavens,  and  before  the  face  of  the  Son  of 
man  who  is  in  heaven. 

Oh,  my  friends,  think  of  this.  Think  of  what  you 
say  when  you  say,  '  I  am  a  man.'  Remember  that  you 
are  claiming  for  yourselves  the  very  highest  honour — an 
honour  too  great  to  make  you  proud;  an  honour  so 
great  that,  if  you  understand  it  rightly,  it  must  fill  you 
with  awe,  and  trembling,  and  the  spirit  of  godly  fear, 
lest,  when  God  has  put  you  up  so  high,  you  should  fall 
shamefully  again.     For  the  higher  the  place,  the  deeper 


iSS 


HUMAN  NA  TURE. 


[SERM. 


the  fall ;  and  the  greater  the  honour,  the  greater  the 
shame  of  losing  it.  But  be  sure  that  it  was  an  honour 
before  Adam  fell.  That  ever  since  Christ  has  taken  the 
manhood  into  God,  it  is  an  honour  now  to  be  a  man. 
Do  not  let  the  devil  or  bad  men  ever  tempt  you  to  say, 
I  am  only  a  man,  and  therefore  you  cannot  expect  me 
to  do  right.  I  am  but  a  man,  and  therefore  I  cannot 
help  being  mean,  and  sinful,  and  covetous,  and  quarrel- 
some, and  foul :  for  that  is  the  devil's  doctrine,  though 
it  is  common  enough.  I  have  heard  a  story  of  a  man  in 
America — where  very  few,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  have  heard 
the  true  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  therefore 
do  not  know  really  that  God  made  man  in  his  own 
image,  and  redeemed  him  again  into  his  own  image  by 
Jesus  Christ — and  this  man  was  rebuked  for  being  a 
drunkard;  and  what  do  you  fancy  his  excuse  was? 
'Ah,'  he  said,  'you  should  remember  that  there  is  a 
great  deal  of  human  nature  in  a  man.'  That  was  his 
excuse.  He  had  been  so  ill-taught  by  his  Calvinist 
preachers,  that  he  had  learnt  to  look  on  human  nature 
as  actually  a  bad  thing ;  as  if  the  devil,  and  not  God, 
had  made  human  nature,  and  as  if  Christ  had  not 
redeemed  human  nature.  Because  he  was  a  man,  he 
thought  he  was  excused  in  being  a  bad  man;  because 
he  had  a  human  nature  in  him,  he  was  to  be  a  drunkard 
and  a  brute. 

My  friends,  I  trust  that  you  have  not  so  learned 
Christ.  And  if  you  have,  it  is  from  no  teaching  of  your 
Bible,  of  your  Catechism,  or  your  Prayer-book;  and, 
I  say  boldly,  from  no  teaching  of  mine.    The  Church 


XXIII.] 


HUMAN  NA  TURE. 


189 


bids  you  say,  Yes ;  I  have  a  human  nature  in  me ;  and 
what  nature  is  that  but  the  nature  which  the  Son  of  God 
took  on  himself,  and  redeemed,  and  justified  it,  and 
glorified  it,  sitting  for  ever  now  in  his  human  nature 
at  the  right  hand  of  God,  the  Son  of  man  who  is  in 
heaven  ?  Yes,  I  am  a  man ;  and  what  is  it  to  be  a  man, 
but  to  be  the  image  and  glory  of  God?  What  is  it 
to  be  a  man?  To  belong  to  that  race  whose  Head 
is  the  co-equal  and  co-eternal  Son  of  God.  True,  it 
is  not  enough  to  have  only  a  human  nature  which  may 
sin,  will  sin,  must  sin,  if  left-  to  itself  a  moment.  But 
you  have,  unless  the  Holy  Spirit  has  left  you,  and  your 
baptism  is  of  none  effect,  more  than  human  nature  in 
you :  you  have  divine  grace — that  supernatural  grace 
and  Spirit  of  God  by  which  man  stood  in  Paradise,  and 
by  neglecting  which  he  fell. 

Obey  that  Spirit ;  from  him  comes  every  right  judg- 
ment of  your  minds,  every  good  desire  of  your  hearts, 
every  thought  and  feeling  in  you  which  raises  you  up, 
instead  of  dragging  you  down ;  which  bids  you  do  your 
duty,  and  live  the  life  of  God  and  Christ,  instead  of 
living  the  mere  death-in-life  of  selfish  pleasure  and  covet- 
ousness.  Obey  that  Spirit,  and  be  men :  men  indeed, 
that  you  may  not  come  to  shame  in  the  day  when  Christ 
the  Son  of  Man  shall  take  account  of  you,  how  you 
have  used  your-  manhood,  body,  soul,  and  spirit. 


SERMON  XXIV. 


THE  CHARITY  OF  GOD. 


f  Qutnquagesima  Sunday.) 


Luke  xviii.  31,  32,  33. 


All  things  that  are  written  by  the  prophets  concerning  the  Son  of 
man  shall  be  accomplished.  For  he  shall  be  delivered  unto  the 
Gentiles,  and  shall  be  mocked,  and  spitefully  entreated,  and 
spitted  on  :  and  they  shall  scourge  him  and  put  him  to  death ; 
and  the  third  day  he  shall  rise  again. 

HTHIS  is  a  solemn  text,  a  solemn  Gospel;  but  it  is 


not  its  solemnity  which  I  wish  to  speak  of  this 
morning,  but  this — What  has  it  to  do  with  the  Epistle, 
and  with  the  Collect?  The  Epistle  speaks  of  Charity; 
the  Collect  bids  us  pray  for  the  Holy  Spirit  of  Charity. 
What  have  they  to  do  with  the  Gospel  ? 
Let  me  try  to  show  you. 

The  Epistle  speaks  of  God's  eternal  charity.  The 
Gospel  tells  us  how  that  eternal  charity  was  revealed, 
and  shown  plainly  in  flesh  and  blood  on  earth,  in  the 
life  and  death  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

But  you  may  ask,  How  does  the  Epistle  talk  of  God's 
charity  ?  It  bids  men  be  charitable ;  but  the  name  of 
God  is  never  mentioned  in  it.  Not  so,  my  friends. 
Look  again  at  the  Epistle,  and  you  will  see  one  word 


THE  CHARITY  OF  COD. 


I9I 


which  shows  us  that  this  charity,  which  St.  Paul  says  we 
must  have,  is  God's  charity. 

For,  he  says,  Charity  never  faileth ;  that  though  pro- 
phecies shall  fail,  tongues  cease,  knowledge  vanish  away, 
charity  shall  never  fail.  Now,  if  a  thing  never  fail,  it 
must  be  eternal.  And  if  it  be  eternal,  it  must  be  in  God. 
For,  as  I  have  reminded  you  before  about  other  things, 
the  Athanasian  Creed  tells  us  (and  never  was  truer  or 
wiser  word  written)  there  is  but  one  eternal. 

But  if  charity  be  not  in  God,  there  must  be  two 
eternals ;  God  must  be  one  eternal,  and  charity  another 
eternal ;  which  cannot  be.  Therefore  charity  must  be  in 
God,  and  of  God,  part  of  God's  essence  and  being ;  and 
not  only  God's  saints,  but  God  himself — suffereth  long, 
and  is  kind ;  envieth  not,  is  not  puffed  up,  seeketh  not 
his  own,  is  not  easily  provoked,  thinketh  no  evil,  re- 
joiceth  not  in  iniquity,  but  in  the  truth ;  beareth  all 
things,  believeth  all  things,  hopeth  all  things,  endureth 
all  things. 

So  St.  Augustine  believed,  and  the  greatest  fathers  of 
old  time.  They  believed,  and  they  have  taught  us  to 
believe,  that  before  all  things,  above  all  things,  beneath 
all  things,  is  the  divine  charity,  the  love  of  God,  infinite 
as  God  is  infinite,  everlasting  as  God  is  everlasting ;  the 
charity  by  which  God  made  all  worlds,  all  men,  and  all 
things,  that  they  might  be  blest  as  he  is  blest,  perfect  as 
he  is  perfect,  useful  as  he  is  useful ;  the  charity  which  is 
God's  essence  and  Holy  Spirit,  which  might  be  content 
in  itself,  because  it  is  perfectly  at  peace  in  itself;  and 
yet  cannot  be  content  in  itself,  just  because  it  is  charity 


92 


THE  CHARITY  OF  GOD. 


[SERM. 


and  love,  and  therefore  must  be  going  forth  and  pro- 
ceeding everlastingly  from  the  Father  and  the  Son,  upon 
errands  of  charity,  love,  and  mercy,  rewarding  those 
whom  it  finds  doing  their  work  in  their  proper  place, 
and  seeking  and  saving  those  who  are  lost,  and  out  of 
their  proper  place. 

But  what  has  this  to  do  with  the  Gospel?  Surely, 
my  friends,  it  is  not  difficult  to  see.  In  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord,  the  eternal  charity  of  God  was  fully  revealed. 
The  veil  was  taken  off  it  once  for  all,  that  men  might 
see  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
know  that  the  glory  of  God  is  charity,  and  the  Spirit 
of  God  is  love. 

There  was  a  veil  over  that  in  old  times ;  and  the  veil 
comes  over  it  often  enough  now.  It  was  difficult  in  old 
times  to  believe  that  God  was  charity;  it  is  difficult 
sometimes  now. 

Sad  and  terrible  things  happen — Plague  and  famine, 
earthquake  and  war.  All  these  things  have  happened  in 
our  times.  Not  two  months  ago,  in  Italy,  an  earthquake 
destroyed  many  thousands  of  people ;  and  in  India,  this 
summer,  things  have  happened  of  which  I  dare  not  speak, 
which  have  turned  the  hearts  of  women  to  water,  and 
the  hearts  of  men  to  fire  :  and  when  such  things  happen, 
it  is  difficult  for  the  moment  to  believe  that  God  is  love, 
and  that  he  is  full  of  eternal,  boundless,  untiring  charity 
toward  the  creatures  whom  he  has  made,  and  who  yet 
perish  so  terribly,  suddenly,  strangely. 

Well,  then,  we  must  fall  back  on  the  Gospel.  We 
must  not  be  afraid  of  the  terror  of  such  awful  events,  but 


XXIV.] 


THE  CHARITY  OF  GOD. 


93 


sanctify  the  Lord  God,  in  our  hearts,  and  say,  Whatever 
may  happen  I  know  that  God  is  love ;  I  know  that  his 
glory  is  charity;  I  know  that  his  mercy  is  over  all  his 
works ;  for  I  know  that  Jesus  Christ,  who  was  full  of 
perfect  charity,  is  the  express  image  of  his  Father's 
person,  and  the  brightness  of  his  Father's  glory.  I  know 
(for  the  Gospel  tells  me),  that  he  dared  all  things,  endured 
all  things,  in  the  depth  of  his  great  love,  for  the  sake  of 
sinful  men.  I  know  that  when  he  knew  what  was  going 
to  happen  to  him;  when  he  knew  that  he  should  be 
mocked,  scourged,  crucified,  he  deliberately,  calmly, 
faced  all  that  shame,  horror,  agony,  and  went  up  willingly 
to  Jerusalem  to  suffer  and  to  die  there ;  because  he  was 
full  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  the  spirit  of  charity  and  love. 
I  know  that  he  was  so  full  of  it,  that  as  he  went  up  on 
his  fatal  journey,  with  a  horrible  death  staring  him  in  the 
face,  still,  instead  of  thinking  of  himself,  he  was  thinking 
of  others,  and  could  find  time  to  stop  and  heal  the  poor 
blind  man  by  the  way  side,  who  called  '  Jesus,  thou  Son 
of  David,  have  mercy  on  me.'  And  in  him  and  his  love 
will  I  trust,  when  there  seems  nothing  else  left  to  trust 
on  earth. 

Oh,  my  friends,  believe  this  with  your  whole  heart. 
Whatever  happens  to  you  or  to  your  friends,  happens 
out  of  the  eternal  charity  of  God,  who  cannot  change, 
who  cannot  hate,  who  can  be  nothing  but  what  he  is 
and  was,  and  ever  will  be — love. 

And  when  St.  Paul  tells  you,  as  he  told  you  in  the 
Epistle  to-day,  to  have  charity,  to  try  for  charity,  because 
it  is  the  most  excellent  way  to  please  God,  and  the 

o 


i94 


THE  CHARITY  OF  GOD. 


eternal  virtue,  which  will  abide  for  ever  in  heaven,  when 
all  wisdom  and  learning,  even  about  spiritual  things, 
which  men  have  had  on  earth,  shall  seem  to  us  when 
we  look  back  such  as  a  child's  lessons  do  to  a  grown 
man  j — when,  I  say,  St.  Paul  tells  you  to  try  after  charity, 
he  tells  you  to  be  like  God  himself;  to  be  perfect  even 
as  your  Father  in  heaven  is  perfect ;  to  bear  and  forbear 
because  God  does  so :  to  give  and  forgive  because  God 
does  so ;  to  love  all  because  God  loves  all,  and  willeth 
that  none  should  perish,  but  that  all  should  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth. 

How  he  will  fulfil  that ;  how  he  fulfilled  it  last  summer 
with  those  poor  souls  in  India,  we  know  not,  and  never 
shall  know  in  this  life.  Let  it  be  enough  for  us  that 
known  unto  God  are  all  his  works  from  the  foundation 
of  the  world,  and  that  his  charity  embraces  the  whole 
universe. 


SERMON  XXV. 


THE  DAYS  OF  THE  WEEK. 
James  i.  17. 

Every  good  gift,  and  every  perfect  gift  is  from  above,  and  cometh 
down  from  the  Father  of  lights,  with  whom  is  neither  variableness, 
nor  shadow  of  turning. 

T  T  seems  an  easy  thing  for  us  here  to  say,  '  I  believe  in 
God.'  We  have  learnt  from  our  childhood  that  there 
is  but  one  God.  It  seems  to  us  strange  and  ridiculous 
that  people  anywhere  should  believe  in  more  gods  than 
one.  We  never  heard  of  any  other  doctrine,  except  in 
books  about  the  heathen ;  and  there  are  perhaps  not 
three  people  in  this  church  who  ever  saw  a  heathen  man, 
or  talked  to  him. 

Yet  it  is  not  so  easy  to  learn  that  there  is  but  one 
God.  Were  it  not  for  the  church,  and  the  missionaries 
who  were  sent  into  this  part  of  the  world  by  the  church? 
now  1200  years  ago,  we  should  not  know  it  now.  Our 
forefathers  once  worshipped  many  gods,  and  not  one 
only  God.  I  do  not  mean  when  they  were  savages ;  for 
I  do  not  believe  that  they  ever  were  savages  at  all :  but 
after  they  were  settled  here  in  England,  living  in  a  simple 
way,  very  much  as  country  people  live  now,  and  dressing 
very  much  as  countiy  people  do  now,  they  worshipped 
many  gods. 


196 


THE  DA  YS  OF  THE  WEEK. 


[SERM. 


Now  what  put  that  mistake  into  their  minds?  It 
seems  so  ridiculous  to  us  now,  that  we  cannot  under- 
stand at  first  how  it  ever  arose. 

But  if  we  will  consider  the  names  of  their  old  gods, 
we  shall  understand  it  a  little  better.  Now  the  names 
of  the  old  English  gods  you  all  know.  They  are  in 
your  mouths  every  day.  The  days  of  the  week  are 
named  after  them.  The  old  English  kept  time  by  weeks, 
as  the  old  Jews  did,  and  they  named  their  days  after 
their  gods.  Why,  would  take  me  too  much  time  to  tell : 
but  so  it  is. 

Why,  then,  did  they  worship  these  gods? 

First,  because  man  must  worship  something.  Before 
man  fell,  he  was  created  in  Christ  the  image  and  likeness 
of  God  the  Father ;  and  therefore  he  was  created  that  he 
might  hear  his  Father's  voice,  and  do  his  Father's  will, 
as  Christ  does  everlastingly;  and  after  man  fell,  and  lost 
Christ  and  Christ's  likeness,  still  there  was  left  in  his 
heart  some  remembrance  of  the  child's  feeling  which  the 
first  man  had ;  he  felt  that  he  ought  to  look  up  to  some 
one  greater  than  himself,  obey  some  one  greater  than 
himself;  that  some  one  greater  than  himself  was  watching 
over  him,  doing  him  good,  and  perhaps,  too,  doing  him 
harm  and  punishing  him. 

Then  these  simple  men  looked  up  to  the  heaven 
above,  and  round  on  the  earth  beneath,  and  asked,  Who 
is  it  who  is  calling  for  us  ?  Who  is  it  we  ought  to  obey 
and  please ;  who  gives  us  good  things  ?  Who  may  hurt 
us  if  we  make  him  angry  ? 

Then  the  first  thing  they  saw  was  the  sun.  What 


XXV.]  THE  DA  YS  OF  THE  WEEK. 


97 


more  beautiful  than  the  sun?  What  more  beneficent? 
From  the  sun  came  light  and  heat,  the  growth  of  all 
living  things,  ay,  the  growth  of  life  itself. 

The  sun,  they  thought,  must  surely  be  a  god ;  so 
they  worshipped  the  sun,  and  called  the  first  day  of 
the  week  after  him — Sunday. 

Next  the  moon.  Nothing,  except  the  sun,  seemed 
so  grand  and  beautiful  to  them  as  the  moon,  and  she 
was  their  next  god,  and  Monday  was  named  after  her. 

Then  the  wind — what  a  mysterious,  awful,  miraculous 
thing  the  wind  seemed,  always  moving,  yet  no  one  knew 
how ;  with  immense  power  and  force,  and  yet  not  to  be 
seen  ;  as  our  blessed  Lord  himself  said,  '  The  wind  blow- 
eth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof, 
but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh  or  whither  it  goeth.' 
Then — and  this  is  very  curious — they  fancied  that  the 
wind  was  a  sort  of  pattern,  or  type  of  the  spirit  of  man. 
With  them,  as  with  the  old  Jews  and  Greeks,  the  same 
word  which  meant  wind,  meant  also  a  man's  soul,  his 
spirit ;  and  so  they  grew  to  think  that  the  wind  was  in- 
habited by  some  great  spirit,  who  gave  men  spirit,  and 
inspired  them  to  be  brave,  and  to  prophesy,  and  say  and 
do  noble  things ;  and  they  called  him  Wodin  the  Mover, 
the  Inspirer ;  and  named  Wednesday  after  him. 

Next  the  thunder — what  more  awful  and  terrible,  and 
yet  so  full  of  good,  than  the  summer  heat  and  the  thunder 
cloud  ?  So  they  fancied  that  the  thunder  was  a  god,  and 
called  him  Thor — and  the  dark  thunder  cloud  was  Trior's 
frowning  eyebrow ;  and  the  lightning  flash  Thor's  hammer, 
with  which  he  split  the  rocks,  and  melted  the  winter-ice 


193  THE  DAYS  OF  THE  WEEK.  [SERM. 


and  drove  away  the  cold  of  winter,  and  made  the  land 
ready  for  tillage.  So  they  worshipped  Thor,  and  loved 
him;  for  they  fancied  him  a  brave,  kindly,  useful  god, 
who  loved  to  see  men  working  in  their  fields,  and  tilling 
the  land  honestly. 

Then  the  spring.  That  was  a  wonder  to  them  again 
— and  is  it  not  a  wonder  to  see  all  things  grow  fresh  and 
fair,  after  the  dreary  winter  cold?  So  the  spring  was 
a  goddess,  and  they  called  her  Freya,  the  Free  One,  the 
Cheerful  One,  and  named  Friday  after  her;  and  she  it 
was,  they  thought,  who  gave  them  the  pleasant  spring 
time,  and  youth,  and  love,  and  cheerfulness,  and  rejoiced 
to  see  the  flowers  blossom,  and  the  birds  build  their 
nests,  and  all  young  creatures  enjoy  the  life  which  God 
had  given  them  in  the  pleasant  days  of  spring.  And 
after  her  Friday  is  named. 

Then  the  harvest.  The  ripening  of  the  grain,  that 
too  was  a  wonder  to  them — and  should  it  not  be  to  us  ? 
— how  the  corn  and  wheat  which  is  put  into  the  ground 
and  dies  should  rise  again,  and  then  ripen  into  golden 
corn  ?  That  too  must  be  the  work  of  some  kindly  spirit, 
who  loved  men ;  and  they  called  him  Seator,  the  Setter, 
the  Planter,  the  God  of  the  seed  field  and  the  harvest, 
and  after  him  Saturday  is  named. 

And  so,  instead  of  worshipping  him  who  made  all 
heaven  and  earth,  they  turned  to  worship  the  heaven 
and  the  earth  itself,  like  the  foolish  Canaanites. 

Bat  some  may  say,  '  This  was  all  very  mistaken  and 
foolish :  but  what  harm  was  there  in  it  ?  How  did  it 
make  them  worse  men  ?' 


XXV.]  THE  DAYS  OF  THE  WEEK.  199 


My  friends,  among  these  very  woodlands  here,  some 
thirteen  hundred  years  ago,  you  might  have  come  upon 
one  of  the  places  where  your  forefathers  worshipped 
Thor  and  Odin,  the  thunder  and  the  wind,  beneath  the 
shade  of  ancient  oaks,  in  the  darkest  heart  of  the  forest. 
And  there  you  would  have  seen  an  ugly  sight  enough. 

There  was  an  altar  there,  with  an  everlasting  fire 
burning  on  it;  but  why  should  that  altar,  and  all  the 
ground  around  be  crusted  and  black  with  blood;  why 
should  that  dark  place  be  like  a  charnel  house  or  a 
butcher's  shambles ;  why,  from  all  the  trees  around, 
should  there  be  hanging  the  rotting  carcases,  not  of 
goats  and  horses  merely,  but  of  me/i,  sacrificed  to  Thor 
and  Odin,  the  thunder  and  the  wind?  Why  that 
butchery,  why  those  works  of  darkness  in  the  dark 
places  of  the  world? 

Because  that  was  the  way  of  pleasing  Thor  and  Odin. 
To  that  our  forefathers  came.  To  that  all  heathens  have 
come,  sooner  or  later.  They  fancy  gods  in  their  own 
likeness ;  and  then  they  make  out  those  gods  no  better 
than,  and  at  last  as  bad  as  themselves. 

The  old  English  and  Danes  were  fond  of  Thor  and 
Odin;  they  fancied  them,  as  I  told  you,  brave  gods, 
very  like  themselves :  but  they  themselves  were  not 
always  what  they  ought  to  be ;  they  had  fierce  passions, 
were  proud,  revengeful,  blood-thirsty ;  and  they  thought 
Thor  and  Odin  must  be  so  too. 

And  when  they  looked  round  them,  that  seemed  too 
true.  The  thunder  storm  did  not  merely  melt  the  snow, 
cool  the  air,  bring  refreshing  rain ;  it  sometimes  blasted 
trees,  houses,  men ;  that  they  thought  was  Thor's  anger. 


200 


THE  DA  YS  OF  THE  WEEK. 


[SERM. 


So  of  the  wind.  Sometimes  it  blew  down  trees  and 
buildings,  sank  ships  in  the  sea.  That  was  Odin's  anger. 
Sometimes,  too,  they  were  not  brave  enough;  or  they 
were  defeated  in  battle.  That  was  because  Thor  and 
Odin  were  angry  with  them,  and  would  not  give  them 
courage.  How  were  they  to  appease  Thor  and  Odin, 
and  put  them  into  good  humour  again  ?  By  giving  them 
their  revenge,  by  letting  them  taste  blood;  by  offering 
them  sheep,  goats,  horses  in  sacrifice  :  and  if  that  would 
not  do,  by  offering  them  something  more  precious  still, 
living  men. 

And  so,  too  often,  when  the  weather  was  unfavourable, 
and  crops  were  blasted  by  tempest  or  they  were  defeated 
in  battle  by  their  enemies,  Thor's  and  Odin's  altars  were 
turned  into  slaughter-places  for  wretched  human  beings 
— captives  taken  in  war,  and  sometimes,  if  the  need  was 
veiy  great,  their  own  children.  That  was  what  came  of 
worshipping  the  heaven  above  and  the  earth  around, 
instead  of  the  true  God.  Human  sacrifices,  butchery, 
and  murder. 

English  and  Danes  alike.  It  went  on  among  them 
both ;  across  the  seas  in  their  old  country,  and  here  in 
England,  till  they  were  made  Christians.  There  is  no 
doubt  about  it.  I  could  give  you  tale  on  tale  which 
would  make  your  blood  run  cold.  Then  they  learnt  to 
throw  away  those  false  gods  who  quarrelled  among  them- 
selves, and  quarrelled  with  mankind;  gods  who  were 
proud,  revengeful,  changeable,  spiteful ;  who  had  variable- 
ness in  them,  and  turned  round  as  their  passions  led 
them.    Then  they  learnt  to  believe  in  the  one  true  God, 


XXV.]  THE  DAYS  OF  THE  WEEK.  201 


the  Father  of  lights,  in  whom  is  neither  variableness  nor 
shadow  of  turning.  Then  they  learnt  that  from  one  God 
came  every  good  and  perfect  gift ;  that  God  filled  the 
sun  with  light;  that  God  guided  the  changes  of  the 
moon;  that  God,  and  not  Thor,  gave  to  men  industry 
and  courage ;  God,  and  not  Wodin,  inspired  them  with 
the  spirit  which  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  raised  them 
up  above  themselves  to  speak  noble  words  and  do  noble 
deeds ;  that  God,  and  not  Friga,  sent  spring  time  and 
cheerfulness,  and  youth  and  love,  and  all  that  makes 
earth  pleasant ;  that  God,  and  not  Satur,  sent  the  yearly 
wonder  of  the  harvest  crops,  sent  rain  and  fruitful  seasons, 
filling  the  earth  with  food  and  gladness. 

But  what  was  there  about  this  new  God,  even  the  true 
God,  which  the  old  missionaries  preached,  which  won 
the  hearts  of  our  forefathers  ? 

This,  my  friends,  not  merely  that  he  was  one  God 
and  not  many,  but  that  he  was  a  Father  of  lights,  from 
whom  came  good  gifts,  in  whom  was  neither  variableness 
nor  shadow  of  turning. 

Not  merely  a  master,  but  a  Father,  who  gave  good 
gifts,  because  he  was  good  himself;  a  God  whom  they 
could  love,  because  he  loved  them ;  a  God  whom  they 
could  trust  and  depend  on,  because  there  was  no  variable- 
ness in  him,  and  he  could  not  lose  his  temper  as  Thor 
and  Odin  did.  That  was  the  God  whom  their  wild, 
passionate  hearts  wanted,  and  they  believed  in  him. 

And  when  they  doubted,  and  asked,  '  How  can  we  be 
sure  that  God  is  altogether  good  ? — how  can  we  be  sure 
that  he  is  always  trustworthy,  always  the  same?' — Then 


202 


THE  DA  YS  OF  7  HE  WEEK. 


the  missionaries  used  to  point  them  to  the  crucifix,  the 
image  of  Christ  upon  his  cross,  and  say,  '  There  is  the 
token ;  there  is  what  God  is  to  you,  what  God  suffered 
for  you ;  there  is  the  everlasting  sign  that  he  gives  good 
gifts,  even  to  the  best  of  all  gifts,  even  to  his  own  self, 
when  it  was  needed ;  there  is  the  everlasting  sign  that  in 
him  is  neither  darkness,  passion,  nor  change,  but  that  he 
wills  all  men  to  be  saved  from  their  own  darkness  and 
passions,  and  from  the  ruin  which  they  bring,  and  to 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  that  they  have  a 
Father  in  heaven.' 


SERMON  XXVI. 


THE  HEAVENLY  FATHER. 

Acts  xvi.  24— 2S. 

God  that  made  the  world,  and  all  that  therein  is,  seeing  that  he  is 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  dwelleth  not  in  temples  made  with 

hands  For  in  him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being  ; 

as  certain  also  of  your  own  poets  have  said,  For  we  are  also  his 
offspring. 

T  TOLD  you  last  Sunday  of  the  meaning  of  the  days 
of  the  week;  but  one  day  I  left  out — namely, 
Tuesday.  I  did  so  on  purpose.  I  wish  to  speak  of 
that  day  by  itself  in  this  sermon. 

I  told  you  how  our  forefathers  worshipped  many 
gods,  by  fancying  that  various  things  in  the  world  round 
them  were  gods — sun  and  moon,  wind  and  thunder, 
spring  and  harvest. 

But  if  that  seems  to  you  at  times  wrong  and  absurd, 
it  seemed  so  to  them  also.  They,  like  all  heathens,  had 
at  times  dreams  of  one  God. 

They  thought  to  themselves — All  heaven  and  earth 
must  have  had  a  beginning,  and  they  cannot  have  grown 
out  of  nothing,  for  out  of  nothing  nothing  comes.  They 
must  have  been  made  in  some  way.  Perhaps  they  were 
made  by  some  One. 

The  more  they  saw  of  this  wonderful  world,  and  all 


204 


THE  HEA  VENL  Y  FA  THER.  [SERM. 


the  order  and  contrivance  in  it,  the  more  sure  they  were 
that  one  mind  must  have  planned  it,  one  will  created  it. 

But  men — they  thought — persons,  living  souls — are 
not  merely  made ;  they  are  begotten ;  they  must  have 
a  Father,  whose  sons  they  are.  Perhaps,  they  thought, 
there  is  somewhere  a  great  Father;  a  Father  of  all 
persons,  from  whom  all  souls  come,  who  was  before  all 
things,  and  all  persons,  however  great,  however  ancient 
they  may  be.  And  so,  like  the  Greeks  and  Romans, 
and  many  other  heathen  nations,  they  had  dim  thoughts 
of  an  All-Father,  as  they  called  him  \  Father  of  gods  and 
men  ;  the  Father  of  spirits. 

They  looked  round  them  too,  in  this  world,  and  saw 
that  everything  in  it  must  die.  The  tree,  though  it  stood 
for  a  thousand  years,  must  decay  at  last ;  the  very  rocks 
and  mountains  crumbled  to  dust  at  last :  and  so  they 
thought — truly  and  wisely  enough — Everything  which  we 
see  near  us,  perishes  at  last :  why  should  not  everything 
which  we  can  see,  however  far  off,  however  great,  perish  ? 
Why  should  not  this  earth  come  to  an  end?  Why  should 
not  sun  and  moon,  wind  and  thunder,  spring  and  harvest, 
end  at  last?  And  then  will  not  these  gods,  who  are 
mixed  up  with  the  world,  and  live  in  it,  and  govern  it, 
die  too?  If  the  sun  perishes,  the  sun-god  will  perish 
too.  If  the  thunder  ceases  for  ever,  then  there  will  be 
no  more  thunder-god.  Yes,  they  thought — and  wisely 
and  truly  too — everything  which  has  a  beginning  must 
have  an  end.  Everything  which  is  born,  must  die. 
The  sun  and  the  earth,  wind  and  thunder,  will  perish 
some  day ;  the  gods  of  sun  and  earth,  wind  and  thunder, 


XXVI.] 


THE  HE  A  VENL  Y  FA  THER. 


205 


will  die  some  day.  And  then  what  will  be  left?  Will 
there  be  nothing  and  nowhere  ?  That  thought  was  too 
horrible.  God's  voice  in  their  hearts,  the  word  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  lights  every  man  who  comes  into 
the  world,  made  them  feel  that  it  was  horrible,  unreason- 
able ;  that  it  could  not  be. 

But  it  was  all  dim  to  them,  and  uncertain.  Of  one 
thing  only  they  were  certain,  that  death  reigned,  and 
that  death  had  passed  upon  all  men,  and  things,  and 
even  gods.  Evil  beasts,  evil  gods,  evil  passions,  were 
gnawing  at  the  root  of  all  things.  A  time  would  come 
of  nothing  but  rage  and  wickedness,  fury  and  destruction  ; 
the  gods  would  fight  and  be  slain,  and  earth  and  heaven 
would  be  sent  back  again  into  shapeless  ruin :  and  after 
that  they  knew  no  more,  though  they  longed  to  know. 
They  dreamed,  I  say,  at  moments  of  a  new  and  a  better 
world,  new  men,  new  gods  :  but  how  were  they  to  come  ? 
Who  would  live  when  all  things  died?  Was  there  not 
somewhere  an  All-Father,  who  had  eternal  life  ? 

Then  they  looked  round  upon  the  earth,  those  simple- 
hearted  forefathers  of  ours,  and  said  within  themselves, 
Where  is  the  All-Father,  if  All-Father  there  be  ?  Not  in 
this  earth ;  for  it  will  perish.  Not  in  the  sun,  moon,  or 
stars,  for  they  will  perish  too.  Where  is  He  who  abideth 
for  ever  ? 

Then  they  lifted  up  their  eyes  and  saw,  as  they  thought, 
beyond  sun,  and  moon,  and  stars  and  all  which  changes 
and  will  change,  the  clear  blue  sky,  the  boundless  firma- 
ment of  heaven. 

That  never  changed ;  that  was  always  the  same.  The 


206 


THE  HE  A  VENL  Y  FA  THE  J!. 


[SERM. 


clouds  and  storms  rolled  far  below  it,  and  all  the  bustle 
of  this  noisy  world ;  but  there  the  sky  was  still,  as  bright 
and  calm  as  ever.  The  All-Father  must  be  there,  un- 
changeable in  the  unchanging  heaven ;  bright,  and  pure, 
and  boundless  like  the  heavens;  and  like  the  heavens 
too,  silent,  and  afar  off. 

So  they  named  him  after  the  heaven,  Tuith,  Tuisco, 
Divisco — The  God  who  lives  in  the  clear  heaven ;  and 
after  him  Tuesday  is  called :  the  day  of  Tuisco,  the 
heavenly  Father.  He  was  the  Father  of  gods  and  men  ; 
and  man  was  the  son  of  Tuisco  and  Hertha — heaven  and 
earth. 

That  was  all  they  knew;  and  even  that  they  did  not 
know ;  they  contradicted  themselves  and  each  other 
about  it.  After  a  time  they  began  to  think  that  Odin, 
and  not  Tuisco,  was  the  All-Father;  all  was  dim  and 
far  off  to  them.  They  were  feeling  after  him,  as  St  Paul 
says  he  had  intended  them  to  do :  but  they  did  not  find 
him.  They  did  not  know  the  Father,  because  they  did 
not  know  Jesus  Christ  the  Son ;  as  it  is  written,  '  No 
man  cometh  to  the  Father,  but  through  me ;'  and,  1  No 
man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time ;  only  the  only-begotten 
Son,  who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he  hath  declared 
him.' 

Many  other  heathens  had  the  same  thought  and  the 
same  word;  the  old  Greeks  and  Romans,  for  instance, 
who  many  thousand  years  ago  spoke  the  same  tongue  as 
we  did  then,  called  him  Zeus  or  Deus  Pater;  Jupiter; 
the  heavenly  Father,  Father  of  gods  and  men ;  using  the 
same  word  as  our  Tuisco,  a  little  altered.    And  that 


XXVI.] 


7  HE  HE  A  VENL  Y  FA  THER. 


20] 


same  word,  changed  slightly,  means  God  now,  in  Welsh, 
French,  and  Italian,  and  many  languages  in  Europe  and 
in  Asia ;  and  will  do  so  till  the  end  of  time. 

That,  I  say,  was  all  they  knew  of  their  Father  in 
heaven,  till  missionaries  came  and  preached  the  Gospel 
to  them,  and  told  them  what  St.  Paul  told  the  Greeks 
in  my  text. 

Now,  what  did  St.  Paul  tell  the  Greeks  ?  He  came, 
we  read,  to  Athens  in  Greece,  and  found  the  city  wholly 
given  to  idolatry,  worshipping  all  manner  of  false  gods, 
and  images  of  them.  And  yet  they  were  not  content 
with  their  false  gods.  They  felt,  as  our  forefathers  felt, 
that  there  must  be  a  greater,  better,  more  mighty,  more 
faithful  God  than  all :  and  they  thought,  '  We  will  worship 
him  too :  for  we  are  sure  that  he  is,  though  we  know 
nothing  about  him.'  So  they  set  up,  beside  all  the  altars 
and  temples  of  the  false  gods  '  To  the  Unknown  God.' 
And  St.  Paul  passed  by  and  saw  it ;  and  his  heart  was 
stirred  within  him  with  pity  and  compassion;  and  he 
rose  up  and  preached  them  a  sermon — the  first  and  the 
best  missionary  sermon  which  ever  was  preached  on 
earth,  the  model  of  all  missionary  sermons ;  and  said, 
'That  God  whom  you  ignorantly  worship,  Him  I  will 
declare  unto  you.' 

Now,  here  was  a  Gospel ;  here  was  good  news.  St. 
Paul  told  them — as  the  missionaries  afterwards  told  our 
forefathers — that  one,  at  least,  of  their  heathen  fancies 
was  not  wrong.  There  was  a  heavenly  Father.  Man- 
kind was  not  an  orphan,  come  into  the  world  he  knew 
not  whence,  and  going,  when  he  died,  he  knew  not 


20S 


THE  HE  A  VENL  Y  FA  THEE. 


[SERM. 


whither.  No,  man  was  not  an  orphan.  From  God  he 
came;  to  God,  if  he  chose,  he  might  return.  The 
heathen  poet  had  spoken  truth  when  he  said,  'For  we 
are  the  offspring  of  God.' 

But  where  was  the  heavenly  Father?  Far  away  in 
the  clear  sky,  in  the  highest  heaven  beyond  all  suns  and 
stars  ?  Silent  and  idle,  caring  for  no  one  on  earth,  con- 
tent in  himself,  and  leaving  sinful  man  to  himself  to  go 
to  ruin  as  he  chose  ? 

'  No,'  says  St.  Paul,  '  He  is  not  far  off  from  any  one  of 
us ;  for  in  him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being.' 

Wonderful  words  !  Eighteen  hundred  years  have  past 
since  then,  and  we  have  not  spelt  out  half  the  meaning 
of  them.  It  is  such  good  news,  such  blessed  news,  and 
yet  such  awful  news,  that  we  are  afraid  to  believe  it  fully. 
That  the  Almighty  God  should  be  so  near  us,  sinful 
men ;  that  we,  in  spite  of  all  our  sins,  should  live,  and 
move,  and  have  our  being  in  God.    How  can  it  be  true  ? 

My  friends,  it  would  not  be  true,  if  something  more 
was  not  true.  We  should  have  no  right  to  say,  'I 
believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty,'  unless  we  said 
also,  '  I  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  his  only  Son,  our  Lord.' 
St.  Paul,  after  he  had  told  them  of  a  Father  in  heaven, 
went  on  to  tell  them  of  a  man  whom  that  Father  had 
sent  to  judge  the  world,  having  raised  him  from  the 
dead. — And  there  his  sermon  stopped.  Those  foolish 
Greeks  laughed  at  him ;  they  would  not  receive  the 
news  of  Jesus  Christ  the  Son ;  and  therefore  they  lost 
the  good  news  of  their  Father  in  heaven.  We  can  guess 
from  St.  Paul's  Epistle  what  he  was  going  on  to  tell 


XXVI.]  THE  HEAVENLY  FATHER.  209 


them.  How,  by  believing  in  Jesus  Christ  the  Son,  and 
claiming  their  share  in  him,  and  being  baptized  into  his 
name,  they  might  become  once  more  God's  children,  and 
take  their  place  again  as  new  men  and  true  men  in  Jesus 
Christ.    But  they  would  not  hear  his  message. 

Our  forefathers  did  hear  that  message,  and  believed 
it ;  they  had  been  feeling  after  the  heavenly  Father,  and 
at  last  they  found  him,  and  claimed  their  share  in  Christ 
as  sons  of  the  heavenly  Father;  and  therefore  we  are 
Christian  men  this  day,  baptized  into  God's  family,  and 
thriving  as  God's  family  must  thrive,  as  long  as  it  re- 
members that  God  dwelleth  not  in  temples  made  with 
hands,  and  needs  nothing  from  man,  seeing  that  he  gives 
to  all  life  and  breath  and  all  things ;  and  is  not  far  from 
any  one  of  us,  seeing  that  in  him  we  live,  and  move,  and 
have  our  being,  and  are  the  offspring,  the  children  of  God. 

Bear  that  in  mind.  Bear  it  in  mind,  I  say,  that  in 
God  you  live,  and  move,  and  have  your  being.  Day 
and  night,  going  out  and  coming  in,  say  to  yourselves, 
'  I  am  with  God  my  Father,  and  God  my  Father  is  with 
me.  There  is  not  a  good  feeling  in  my  heart,  but  my 
heavenly  Father  has  put  it  there  :  ay,  I  have  not  a  power 
which  he  has  not  given,  a  thought  which  he  does  not 
know ;  even  the  very  hairs  of  my  head  are  all  numbered. 
Whither  shall  I  go  then  from  his  presence?  Whither 
shall  I  flee  from  his  Spirit?  For  he  filleth  all  things. 
If  my  eyes  were  opened,  I  should  see  at  every  moment 
God's  love,  God's  power,  God's  wisdom,  working  alike 
in  sun  and  moon,  in  every  growing  blade  and  ripening 
grain,  and  in  the  training  and  schooling  of  every  human 

p 


2  10 


THE  HEAVENLY  FATHER. 


being,  and  every  nation,  to  whom  he  has  appointed  their 
times,  and  the  bounds  of  their  habitation,  if  haply  they 
may  seek  after  the  Lord,  and  find  him  in  whom  they 
live,  and  move,  and  have  their  being.  Everywhere  I 
should  see  life  going  forth  to  all  created  things  from  God 
the  Father,  of  whom  are  all  things,  and  God  the  Son,  by 
whom  are  all  things,  and  God  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Lord 
and  Giver  of  that  life.' 

A  little  of  that  glorious  sight  we  may  see  in  this  life, 
if  our  hearts  and  reasons  are  purified  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  to  see  God  in  all  things,  and  all  things  in  God : 
and  more  in  that  life  whereof  it  is  written,  '  Beloved,  we 
are  now  the  sons  of  God ;  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear 
what  we  shall  be :  but  this  we  know,  that  when  he 
appears,  we  shall  be  like  him,  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he 
is.'  To  that  life  may  he  in  his  mercy  bring  us  all. 
Amen. 


SERMON  XXVII. 


THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 

John  x.  ii. 
I  am  the  good  shepherd. 

TT ERE  are  blessed  words.    They  are  not  new  words. 

You  find  words  like  these  often  in  the  Bible,  and 
even  in  ancient  heathen  books.  Kings,  priests,  prophets, 
judges,  are  called  shepherds  of  the  people.  David  is 
called  the  shepherd  of  Israel.  A  prophet  complains  of 
the  shepherds  of  Israel  who  feed  themselves,  and  will 
not  feed  the  flock. 

But  the  old  Hebrew  prophets  had  a  vision  of  a  greater 
and  better  shepherd  than  David,  or  any  earthly  king  or 
priest — of  a  heavenly  and  almighty  shepherd.  'The 
Lord  is  my  shepherd,'  says  one ;  '  therefore  I  shall  not 
want.'  And  another  says,  '  He  shall  feed  his  flock  like 
a  shepherd.  He  shall  gather  his  lambs  in  his  arms,  and 
carry  them  in  his  bosom,  and  shall  gently  lead  those  who 
are  with  young.' 

This  was  blessed  news ;  good  news  for  all  mankind, 
if  there  had  been  no  more  than  this.  But  there  is  more 
blessed  news  still  in  the  text.  In  the  text,  the  Lord  of 
whom  those  old  prophets  spoke,  spoke  for  himself,  with 


212 


THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 


[SERM. 


human  voice,  upon  this  earth  of  ours ;  and  declared  that 
all  they  had  said  was  true  ;  and  that  more  still  was  true. 

I  am  the  good  shepherd,  he  says.  And  then  he  adds, 
The  good  shepherd  giveth  his  life  for  the  sheep. 

Oh,  my  friends,  consider  these  words.  Think  what 
endless  depths  of  wonder  there  are  in  them.  Is  it  not 
wonderful  enough  that  God  should  care  for  men  ;  should 
lead  them,  guide  them,  feed  them,  condescend  to  call 
himself  their  shepherd  ?  Wonderful,  indeed  ;  so  wonder- 
ful, that  the  old  prophets  would  never  have  found  it  out 
but  by  the  inspiration  of  Almighty  God.  But  what  a 
wider,  deeper,  nobler,  more  wonderful  blessing,  and  more 
blessed  wonder,  that  the  shepherd  should  give  his  life  for 
the  sheep ; — that  the  master  should  give  his  life  for  the 
servant,  the  good  for  the  bad,  the  wise  one  for  the  fools, 
the  pure  one  for  the  foul,  the  loving  one  for  the  spiteful, 
the  king  for  those  who  had  rebelled  against  him,  the 
Creator  for  his  creatures.  That  God  should  give  his 
life  for  man  !  Truly,  says  St.  John,  1  Herein  is  love. 
Not  that  we  loved  him  :  but  that  he  loved  us.'  Herein, 
indeed,  is  love.  Herein  is  the  beauty  of  God,  and  the 
glory  of  God;  that  he  spared  nothing,  shrank  from 
nothing,  that  he  might  save  man.  Because  the  sheep 
were  lost,  the  good  shepherd  would  go  forth  into  the 
rough  and  dark  places  of  the  earth  to  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  was  lost.  That  was  enough.  That  was  a 
thousand  times  more  than  we  had  a  right  to  expect. 
Had  he  done  only  that  he  would  have  been  for  ever 
glorious,  for  ever  adorable,  for  ever  worthy  of  the  praises 
and  thanks  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  all  that  therein  is 


XXVII.] 


THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 


213 


But  that  seemed  little  in  the  eyes  of  Jesus,  little  to  the 
greatness  of  his  divine  love.  He  would  understand  the 
weakness  of  his  sheep  by  being  weak  himself ;  under- 
stand the  sorrows  of  his  sheep,  by  sorrowing  himself ; 
understand  the  sins  of  his  sheep,  by  bearing  all  their 
sins ;  the  temptations  of  his  sheep,  by  conquering  them 
himself;  and  lastly,  he  would  understand  and  conquer 
the  death  of  his  sheep,  by  dying  himself.  Because  the 
sheep  must  die,  he  would  die  too,  that  in  all  things,  and 
to  the  uttermost,  he  might  show  himself  the  good  shep- 
herd, who  shared  all  sorrow,  danger  and  misery  with  his 
sheep,  as  if  they  had  been  his  children,  bone  of  his  bone 
and  flesh  of  his  flesh.  In  all  things  he  would  show  him- 
self the  good  shepherd,  and  no  hireling,  who  cared  for 
himself  and  his  own  wages.  If  the  wolf  came,  he  would 
face  the  wolf,  and  though  the  wolf  killed  him,  yet  would 
he  kill  the  wolf,  that  by  his  death  he  might  destroy 
death,  and  him  who  had  the  power  of  death,  that  is,  the 
devil.  He  would  go  where  the  sheep  went.  He  would 
enter  into  the  sheepfold  by  the  same  gate  as  they  did, 
and  not  climb  over  into  the  fold  some  other  way,  like 
a  thief  and  a  robber.  He  would  lead  them  into  the  fold 
by  the  same  gate.  They  had  to  go  into  God's  fold 
through  the  gate  of  death ;  and  therefore  he  would  go  in 
through  it  also,  and  die  with  his  sheep ;  that  he  might 
claim  the  gate  of  death  for  his  own,  and  declare  that  it 
did  not  belong  to  the  devil,  but  to  him  and  his  heavenly 
Father;  and  then  having  led  his  sheep  in  through  the 
gate  of  death,  he  would  lead  them  out  again  by  the  gate 
of  resurrection,  that  they  might  find  pasture  in  the  re- 


2I4 


THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 


[SERM. 


deemed  land  of  everlasting  life,  where  can  enter  neither 
devil,  nor  wolf,  nor  robber,  evil  spirit,  evil  man,  or  evil 
thing.  This,  and  more  than  this,  he  would  do  in  the 
greatness  of  his  love.  He  would  become  in  all  things 
like  his  sheep,  that  he  might  show  himself  the  good 
shepherd.  Because  they  died,  he  would  die ;  that  so, 
because  he  rose,  they  might  rise  also. 

Oh,  my  friends,  who  is  sufficient  for  these  things? 
Not  men,  not  saints,  not  angels  or  archangels  can  com- 
prehend the  love  of  Christ.  How  can  they  ?  For  Christ 
is  God,  and  God  is  love;  the  root  and  fountain  of  all 
love  which  is  in  you  and  me,  and  angels,  and  all  created 
beings.  And  therefore  his  love  is  as  much  greater  than 
ours,  or  than  the  love  of  angels  and  archangels,  as  the 
whole  sun  is  greater  than  one  ray  of  sun-light.  Say 
rather,  as  much  greater  and  more  glorious  as  the  sun  is 
greater  and  more  glorious  than  the  light  which  sparkles 
in  the  dew-drop  on  the  grass.  The  love  and  goodness 
and  holiness  of  a  saint  or  an  angel  is  the  light  in  that 
dew-drop,  borrowed  from  the  sun.  The  love  of  God  is 
the  sun  himself,  which  shineth  from  one  part  of  heaven 
to  the  other,  and  there  is  nothing  hid  from  the  life-giving 
heat  and  light  thereof.  When  the  dew-drop  can  take  in 
the  sun,  then  can  we  take  in  the  love  of  God,  which  fills 
all  heaven  and  earth. 

But  there  is,  if  possible,  better  news  still  behind — 'I 
am  the  good  shepherd;  and  know  my  sheep,  and  am 
known  of  mine.' 

'  I  know  my  sheep.'  Surely  some  of  the  words  which 
I  have  just  spoken  may  help  to  explain  that  to  you.    '  I 


XXVII.]  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD.  215 


know  my  sheep.'  Not  merely,  I  know  who  are  my 
sheep,  and  who  are  not.  Of  course,  the  Lord  does  that. 
We  might  have  guessed  that  for  ourselves.  What  comfort 
is  there  in  that?  No,  he  does  not  say  merely,  'I  know 
who  my  sheep  are ;  but  I  know  what  my  sheep  are.  I 
know  them ;  their  inmost  hearts.  I  know  their  sins  and 
their  follies :  but  I  know,  too,  their  longing  after  good. 
I  know  their  temptations,  their  excuses,  their  natural 
weaknesses,  their  infirmities,  which  they  brought  into  the 
world  with  them.  I  know  their  inmost  hearts  for  good 
and  for  evil.  True,  I  think  some  of  them  often  miserable, 
and  poor,  and  blind,  when  they  fancy  themselves  strong, 
and  wise,  and  rich  in  grace,  and  having  need  of  nothing. 
But  I  know  some  of  them,  too,  to  be  longing  after  what 
is  good,  to  be  hungering  and  thirsting  after  righteousness, 
when  they  can  see  nothing  but  their  own  sin  and  weak- 
ness, and  are  utterly  ashamed  and  tired  of  themselves, 
and  are  ready  to  lie  down  in  despair,  and  give  up  all 
struggling  after  God.  I  know  their  weakness — and  of 
me  it  is  written,  '  I  will  carry  the  lambs  in  mine  arms.' 
Those  who  are  innocent  and  inexperienced  in  the  ways 
of  this  world,  I  will  see  that  they  are  not  led  into  tempt- 
ation ;  and  I  will  gently  lead  those  that  are  with  young : 
those  who  are  weary  with  the  burden  of  their  own 
thoughts,  those  who  are  yearning  and  labouring  after 
some  higher,  better,  more  free,  more  orderly,  more  useful 
life ;  those  who  long  to  find  out  the  truth,  and  to  speak 
it,  and  give  birth  to  the  noble  thoughts  and  the  good 
plans  which  they  have  conceived :  I  have  inspired  their 
good  desires,  and  I  will  bring  them  to  good  effect;  I 


2l6 


THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 


[SERM. 


will  gently  lead  them,'  says  the  Lord,  '  for  I  know  them 
better  than  they  know  themselves.' 

Yes.  Christ  knows  us  better  than  we  know  ourselves  : 
and  better,  too,  than  we  know  him.  Thanks  be  to  God 
that  it  is  so.  Or  the  last  words  of  the  text  would  crush 
us  into  despair. — 'I  know  my  sheep,  and  am  known  of 
mine.' 

Is  it  so  ?  We  trust  that  we  are  Christ's  sheep.  We 
trust  that  he  knows  us  :  but  do  we  know  him  ?  What 
answer  shall  we  make  to  that  question,  Do  you  know 
Christ?  I  do  not  mean,  Do  you  know  about  Christ? 
You  may  know  about  a  person  without  knowing  the 
person  himself  when  you  see  him.  I  do  not  mean,  Do 
you  know  doctrines  about  Christ?  though  that  is  good 
and  necessary.  Nor,  Do  you  know  what  Christ  has 
done  for  your  soul?  though  that  is  good  and  necessary 
also.  But,  Do  you  know  Christ  himself?  You  have 
never  seen  him.  True :  but  have  you  never  seen  any 
one  like  him — even  in  part?  Do  you  know  his  likeness 
when  you  see  it  in  any  of  your  neighbours?  That  is 
a  question  worth  thinking  over.  Again — Do  you  know 
what  Christ  is  like  ?  What  his  character  is — what  his  way 
of  dealing  with  your  soul,  and  all  souls,  is?  Are  you 
accustomed  to  speak  to  him  in  your  prayers  as  to  one 
who  can  and  will  hear  you ;  and  do  you  know  his  voice 
when  he  speaks  to  you,  and  puts  into  your  heart  good 
desires,  and  longings  after  what  is  right  and  true,  and 
fair  and  noble,  and  loving  and  patient,  as  he  himself  is  ? 
Do  you  know  Christ  ? 

Alas  !  my  friends,  what  a  poor  answer  we  can  make  to 
that  question  ?    How  little  do  we  know  Christ  ? 


XXVII.] 


THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 


217 


What  would  become  of  us,  if  he  were  like  us? — If  he 
were  one  who  bargained  with  us,  and  said — '  Unless  you 
know  me,  I  will  not  take  the  trouble  to  know  you.  Un- 
less you  care  for  me,  you  cannot  expect  me  to  care  for 
you.'  What  would  become  of  us,  if  God  said,  '  As  you 
do  to  me,  so  will  I  do  to  you  V 

But  our  only  hope  lies  in  this,  that  in  Christ  the  Lord 
is  no  spirit  of  bargaining,  no  pride,  no  spite,  no  rendering 
evil  for  evil.  In  this  is  our  hope ;  that  he  is  the  likeness 
of  his  Father's  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  person  ; 
perfect  as  his  Father  is  perfect ;  that  like  his  Father,  he 
causeth  his  rain  to  fall  on  the  evil  and  the  good ;  and 
his  sun  to  shine  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust;  and  is 
good  to  the  unthankful  and  the  evil — to  you  and  me — 
and  knows  us,  though  we  know  him  not ;  and  cares  for 
us,  though  we  care  not  for  him ;  and  leads  us  his  way, 
like  a  good  shepherd,  when  we  fancy  in  our  conceit  that 
we  are  going  in  our  own  way.  This  is  our  hope,  that  his 
love  is  greater  than  our  stupidity;  that  he  will  not  tire 
of  us,  and  our  fancies,  and  our  self-will,  and  our  laziness, 
in  spite  of  all  our  peevish  tempers,  and  our  mean  and 
fruitless  suspicions  of  his  goodness.  No  !  He  will  not 
tire  of  us,  but  will  seek  us,  and  save  us  when  we  go 
astray.  And  some  day,  somewhere,  somehow,  he  will 
open  our  eyes,  and  let  us  see  him  as  he  is,  and  thank 
him  as  he  deserves.  Some  day,  when  the  veil  is  taken 
off  our  eyes,  we  shall  see  like  those  disciples  at  Emmaus, 
that  Jesus  has  been  walking  with  us,  and  breaking  our 
bread  for  us,  and  blessing  us,  all  our  lives  long;  and 
that  when  our  hearts  burned  within  us  at  noble  thoughts, 


218 


THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 


and  stories  of  noble  and  righteous  men  and  women,  and 
at  the  hope  that  some  day  good  would  conquer  evil,  and 
heaven  come  down  on  earth,  then — so  we  shall  find — 
God  had  been  dwelling  among  men  all  along — even 
Jesus,  who  was  dead,  and  is  alive  for  evermore,  and  has 
the  keys  of  death  and  hell,  and  knows  his  sheep  in  this 
world,  and  in  all  worlds,  past,  present,  and  to  come,  and 
leads  them,  and  will  lead  them  for  ever,  and  none  can 
pluck  them  out  of  his  hand.  Amen. 


SERMON  XXVIII. 


DARK  TIMES. 

i  John  iv.  16 — 18. 

We  have  known  and  believed  the  love  that  God  hath  to  us.  God 
is  love  ;  and  he  that  dwelleth  in  love  dwelleth  in  God,  and  God 
in  him.  Herein  is  our  love  made  perfect,  that  we  may  have 
boldness  in  the  day  of  judgment ;  because  as  he  is,  so  are  we  in 
this  world.  There  is  no  fear  in  love  :  but  perfect  love  casteth 
out  fear  ;  because  fear  hath  torment.  He  that  feareth  is  not  made 
perfect  in  love. 

TTAVE  we  learnt  this  lesson?  Our  reading,  and 
thinking,  and  praying,  have  been  in  vain,  unless 
they  have  helped  us  to  believe  and  know  the  love  which 
God  has  to  us.  But,  indeed,  no  reading,  or  thinking,  or 
praying  will  teach  us  that  perfectly.  God  must  teach  it 
us  himself.  It  is  easy  to  say  that  God  is  love ;  easy  to 
say  that  Christ  died  for  us ;  easy  to  say  that  God's  Spirit 
is  with  us ;  easy  to  say  all  manner  of  true  doctrines,  and 
run  them  off  our  tongues  at  second-hand ;  easy  for  me  to 
stand  up  here  and  preach  them  to  you,  just  as  I  find 
them  written  in  a  book.  But  do  I  believe  what  I  say? 
Do  you  believe  what  you  say?  There  is  an  awful 
question.  We  believe  it  all  now,  or  think  we  believe  it, 
while  we  are  easy  and  comfortable  :  but  should  we  have 
boldness  in  the  day  of  judgment? — Should  we  believe  it 
all,  if  God  visited  us,  to  judge  us,  and  try  us,  and  pierce 


220 


DARK  TIMES. 


[SERM. 


asunder  the  very  joints  and  marrow  of  our  heart  with 
fearful  sorrow  and  temptation  ?  O  Lord,  who  shall  stand 
in  that  day  ? 

Suppose,  for  instance,  God  were  to  take  away  the 
desire  of  our  eyes,  with  a  stroke.  Suppose  we  were  to 
lose  a  wife,  a  darling  child ;  suppose  we  were  struck 
blind,  or  paralytic ;  suppose  some  unspeakable,  unbear- 
able shame  fell  on  us  to-morrow :  could  we  say  then, 
God  is  love,  and  this  horrible  misery  is  a  sign  of  it? 
He  loves  me,  for  he  chastens  me?  Or  should  we  say, 
like  Job's  wife,  and  one  of  the  foolish  women,  '  Curse 
God  and  die?'    God  knows. 

Ah,  when  that  dark  day  seems  coming  on  us,  and 
bringing  some  misery  which  looks  to  us  beforehand 
quite  unbearable — then  how  our  lip-belief  and  book-faith 
is  tried,  and  burnt  up  in  the  fire  of  God,  and  in  the  fire 
of  our  own  proud,  angry  hearts,  too  !  How  we  struggle 
and  rage  at  first  at  the  very  thought  of  the  coming 
misery;  and  are  ready  to  say,  God  will  not  do  this  ! 
He  cannot — cannot  be  so  unjust,  so  cruel,  as  to  bring 
this  misery  on  me.  What  have  I  done  to  deserve  it? 
Or,  if  I  have  deserved  it,  what  have  these  innocents 
done?  Why  should  they  be  punished  for  my  sins? 
After  all  my  prayers,  too,  and  my  church-goings,  and 
my  tryings  to  be  good.  Is  this  God's  reward  for  all  my 
trouble  to  please  him?  Then  how  vain  all  our  old 
prayers  seem ;  how  empty  and  dry  all  ordinances.  We 
cry,  I  have  cleansed  my  hands  in  vain,  and  in  vain 
washed  my  heart  in  innocency.  We  have  no  heart  to 
pray  to  God.    If  he  has  not  heard  our  past  prayers,  why 


XXVIII.] 


DARK  TIMES. 


22] 


should  we  pray  any  more  ?  Let  us  lie  down  and  die ; 
let  us  bear  his  heavy  hand,  if  we  must  bear  it,  sullenly, 
desperately :  but,  as  for  saying  that  God  is  love,  or  to 
say  that  we  know  the  love  which  God  has  for  us,  we  say 
in  our  hearts,  Let  the  clergyman  talk  of  that ;  it  is  his 
business  to  speak  about  it ;  or  comfortable,  easy  people, 
who  are  not  watering  their  pillow  with  bitter  tears  all 
night  long.  But  if  they  were  in  my  place  (says  the  un- 
happy man),  they  would  know  a  little  more  of  what  poor 
souls  have  to  go  through :  they  would  talk  somewhat 
less  freely  about  its  being  a  sin  to  doubt  God's  love. 
He  has  sent  this  great  misery  on  me.  How  can  I  tell 
what  more  he  may  not  send?  How  can  I  help  being 
afraid  of  God,  and  looking  up  to  him  with  tormenting 
fear? 

Yes,  my  friends.  These  are  very  terrible  thoughts — ■ 
very  wrong  thoughts  some  of  them,  very  foolish  thoughts 
some  of  them,  though  pardonable  enough;  for  God 
pardons  them,  as  we  shall  see.  But  they  are  real  thoughts. 
They  are  what  really  come  into  people's  minds  every 
day;  and  I  am  here  to  talk  to  you  about  what  is  really 
going  on  in  your  soul,  and  mine ;  not  to  repeat  to  you 
doctrines  at  second-hand  out  of  a  book,  and  say,  There, 
that  is  what  you  have  to  believe  and  do ;  and,  if  you  do 
not,  you  will  go  to  hell :  but  to  speak  to  you  as  men  of 
like  passions  with  myself;  as  sinning,  sorrowing,  doubt- 
ing, struggling  human  beings ;  and  to  talk  to  you  of 
what  is  in  my  own  heart,  and  will  be  in  your  hearts  too, 
some  day,  if  it  has  not  been  already.  This  is  the  ex- 
perience of  all  real  men,  all  honest  men,  who  ever 


222 


DARK  TIMES. 


[SERM- 


struggled  to  know  and  to  do  what  is  right.  David  felt 
it  all.  You  find  it  all  through  those  glorious  Psalms  of 
his.  He  was  no  comfortable,  book-read,  second-hand 
Christian,  who  had  an  answer  ready  for  every  trouble, 
because  he  had  never  had  any  real  trouble  at  all.  David 
was  not  one  of  them.  He  had  to  go  through  a  very 
rough  training — very  terrible  and  fiery  trials,  year  after 
year ;  and  had  to  say,  again  and  again,  '  I  am  weary  of 
crying;  my  heart  is  dry;  my  heart  faileth  me  for  waiting 
so  long  upon  my  God.  All  thy  billows  and  storms  are 
gone  over  me.  Thou  hast  laid  me  in  a  place  of  darkness, 
and  in  the  lowest  deep.'  

Not  by  sitting  comfortably  reading  his  book,  but  by 
such  terrible  trials  as  that,  was  David  taught  to  trust 
God  to  the  uttermost;  and  to  learn  that  God's  love  was 
so  perfect  that  he  need  never  dread  him,  or  torment 
himself  with  anxiety  lest  God  should  leave  him  to  perish. 

Hezekiah  felt  it,  too,  good  man  as  he  was,  when  he 
was  sick,  and  like  to  die.  And  it  was  not  for  many  a 
day  that  he  found  out  the  truth  about  these  dark  hours  of 
misery,  that  by  all  these  things  men  live,  and  in  all  these 
things  is  the  life  of  the  Spirit. 

And  this  was  Jacob's  experience,  too,  on  that  most 
fearful  night  of  all  his  life,  when  he  waited  by  the  ford 
of  Jabbok,  expecting  that  with  the  morning  light  the 
punishment  of  his  past  sins  would  come  on  him;  and 
not  only  on  him,  but  on  all  his  family,  and  his  innocent 
children ;  when  he  stood  there  alone  by  the  dark  river, 
not  knowing  whether  Esau  and  his  wild  Arabs  would 
not  sweep  off  the  earth  all  he  had  and  all  he  loved ;  and 


XXVIII.] 


DARK  TIMES. 


22j 


knowing,  too,  that  it  was  his  own  fault,  that  he  had 
brought  it  all  upon  them  by  his  own  deceit  and  treachery. 
Then,  when  his  sins  stared  him  in  the  face,  and  God 
rose  up  to  judgment  against  him,  he  learnt  to  pray  as  he 
had  never  prayed  before — a  prayer  too  deep  for  words. 

'  And  Jacob  was  left  alone :  and  there  wrestled  a  man 
with  him  till  the  breaking  of  the  day.  And  when  he  saw 
that  he  prevailed  not  against  him,  he  touched  the  hollow 
of  Jacob's  thigh ;  and  the  hollow  of  his  thigh  was  out  of 
joint  as  he  wrestled  with  him.  And  he  said,  Let  me  go, 
for  the  day  breaketh.  And  he  said,  I  will  not  let  thee 
go,  till  thou  bless  me.  And  he  blessed  him  there.  And 
Jacob  called  the  name  of  that  place  Peniel :  for  I  have 
seen  God  face  to  face,  and  my  life  is  preserved.' 

So  it  may  be  with  us.  So  it  must  be  with  us,  in  the 
dark  day  when  our  faith  is  really  tried  by  terrible  afflic- 
tion. 

We  must  begin  as  Jacob  did.  Plead  God's  promises, 
confess  the  mercies  we  have  received  already.  '  I  am 
not  worthy  of  the  least  of  all  the  mercies  which  thou 
hast  showed  to  thy  servant.' 

Ask  for  God's  help,  as  Jacob  did :  '  Deliver  me,  I 
pray  thee,  out  of  the  hand  of  Esau  my  brother.'  Plead 
his  written  promises,  and  the  covenant  of  our  baptism, 
which  tell  us  that  we  are  God's  children,  and  God  our 
Father,  as  Jacob  did  according  to  his  light — '  And  thou 
saidst,  I  will  surely  do  thee  good.' 

So  the  proud  angry  heart  will  perhaps  pass  out  of  us, 
and  we  shall  set  ourselves  more  calmly  to  face  the  worst, 
and  to  try  if  God's  promises  be  indeed  true,  and  God  be 
indeed  as  he  has  said,  '  Love.' 


224 


DARK  TIMES. 


TsSRM. 


But  do  not  be  astonished,  do  not  be  disheartened,  if, 
when  the  trouble  comes,  there  comes  with  it,  as  to  Jacob, 
a  more  terrible  struggle  far,  a  struggle  too  deep  for  words ; 
if  you  find  out  that  fine  words  and  set  prayers  are  nothing 
in  the  hour  of  need,  and  that  you  will  not  be  heard  for 
your  much  speaking.  Ah  !  the  darkness  of  that  time, 
which  perhaps  goes  on  for  days,  for  months,  all  alone 
between  you  and  God  himself.  Clergymen  and  good 
people  may  come  in  with  kind  words  and  true  words : 
but  they  give  no  comfort ;  your  heart  is  still  dark,  still 
full  of  doubt ;  you  want  God  himself  to  speak  to  your 
heart,  and  tell  you  that  he  is  love.  And  you  have  no 
words  to  pray  with  at  last ;  you  have  used  them  all  up ; 
and  you  can  only  cling  humbly  to  God,  and  hold  fast. 
One  moment  you  feel  like  a  poor  slave  clinging  to  his 
stem  master's  arm,  and  entreating  him  not  to  kill  him 
outright.  The  next  you  feel  like  a  child  clinging  to  its 
father,  and  entreating  him  to  save  him  from  some  horrible 
monster  which  is  going  to  devour  it :  but  you  have  no 
words  to  pray  with,  only  sighs,  and  tears,  and  groans ; 
you  feel  that  you  know  not  what-  to  pray  for  as  you 
ought,  know  not  what  is  good  for  you;  dare  ask  for 
nothing,  lest  it  should  be  the  wrong  thing.  And  the 
longer  you  struggle,  the  weaker  you  become,  as  Jacob 
did,  till  your  very  bones  seem  out  of  joint,  your  very 
heart  broken  within  you,  and  life  seems  not  worth  having, 
or  death  either. 

Only  hold  fast  by  God.  Only  do  not  despair.  Only 
be  sure  that  God  cannot  lie ;  be  sure  that  he  who  cared 
for  you  from  your  birth  hour  cares  for  you  still ;  that  he 


XXVIII.] 


DARK  TIMES. 


225 


who  loved  you  enough  to  give  his  own  Son  for  you 
hundreds  of  years  before  you  were  born,  cannot  but  love 
you  still ;  do  not  despair,  I  say;  and  at  last,  when  you 
are  fallen  so  low  that  you  can  fall  no  lower,  and  so  weak 
that  you  are  past  struggling,  you  may  hear  through  the 
darkness  of  your  heart  the  still  small  voice  of  God. 
Only  hold  fast,  and  let  him  not  go  until  he  bless  you, 
and  you  shall  find  with  Jacob  of  old,  that  as  a  prince 
you  have  power  with  God  and  with  man,  and  have  pre- 
vailed. And.  so  God  will  answer  you,  as  he  answered 
Elijah,  at  first  out  of  the  whirlwind  and  the  blinding 
storm :  but  at  last,  doubt  it  not,  with  the  still  small 
voice  which  cannot  be  mistaken,  which  no  earthly  ear 
can  hear,  but  which  is  more  precious  to  the  broken  heart 
than  all  which  this  world  gives,  the  peace  which  passes 
understanding,  and  yet  is  the  surest  and  the  only  lasting 
peace. 

But  what  is  the  secret  of  this  strange  awful  struggle  ? 
Can  you  or  I  change  God's  will  by  any  prayers  of  ours  ? 
God  forbid  that  we  should,  my  friends,  even  if  we  could ; 
for  his  will  is  a  good  will  to  us,  and  his  name  is  Love  ? 

Do  not  be  afraid  of  him.  If  you  do,  you  are  not 
made  perfect  in  love;  you  have  not  yet  learnt  perfect 
the  lesson  of  his  great  love  to  you.  But  what  is  the 
secret  of  this  struggle?  Why  has  any  poor  soul  to 
wrestle  thus  with  God  who  made  him,  before  he  can 
get  peace  and  hope?  Why  is  the  trouble  sent  him  at 
all?  It  looks  at  first  sight  a  strange  sort  of  token  of 
God's  love,  to  bring  the  creatures  whom  he  has  made 
into  utter  misery. 

Q 


2  26 


DARK  TIMES. 


[SERM. 


My  friends,  these  are  deep  questions.  There  are. 
plenty  of  answers  for  them  ready  written  :  but  no  answers 
like  the  Bible  ones,  which  tell  us  that  '  whom  the  Lord 
loveth  he  chasteneth ;  that  these  sorrows  come  on  us, 
and  heaviness,  and  manifold  temptations,  in  order  that 
the  trial  of  our  faith,  being  much  more  precious  than 
that  of  gold,  which  perishes  though  it  be  tried  with  fire, 
may  be  found  to  praise,  and  honour,  and  glory  at  the 
appearance  of  Jesus  Christ.'  This  is  the  only  answer ; 
but  it  does  not  explain  the  reason.  It  only  gives  us 
hope  under  it.  We  do  not  know  that  these  dreadful 
troubles  come  from  God.  The  Bible  tells  us  '  that  God 
tempts  no  man ;  that  he  does  not  afflict  willingly,  nor 
grieve  the  children  of  men.'  The  Bible  speaks  at  times 
as  if  these  dark  troubles  came  from  the  devil  himself; 
and  as  if  God  turned  them  into  good  for  us  by  making 
them  part  of  our  training,  part  of  our  education ;  and  so 
making  some  devil's  attempt  to  ruin  us  only  a  great 
means  of  our  improvement.  I  do  not  know :  but  this 
I  do  know,  the  troubles  are  here,  and  God  is  love.  At 
least  this  is  comfortable,  that  God  will  let  no  man  be 
tempted  beyond  what  he  is  able :  but  will  with  the 
temptation  make  a  way  for  us  to  escape,  that  we  may  be 
able  to  bear  it.  At  least  this  is  comfortable,  that  our 
prayers  are  not  needed  to  change  God's  will,  because  his 
will  is  already  that  we  should  be  saved ;  because  we  are 
on  his  side  in  the  battle  against  the  devil,  or  the  flesh, 
or  the  world,  or  whatever  it  is  which  makes  poor  souls 
and  bodies  miserable,  and  he  on  ours :  and  all  we  have 
to  do  in  our  prayers,  is  to  ask  advice  and  orders  and 


XXVIII.] 


DARK  TIMES. 


227 


strength  and  courage  from  the  great  Captain  of  our 
salvation ;  that  we  may  fight  his  battle  and  ours  aright 
and  to  the  end.  And,  my  friends,  if  you  be  in  trouble, 
if  your  heart  be  brought  low  within  you,  remember,  only 
remember,  who  the  Captain  of  our  salvation  is.  Who 
but  Jesus  who  died  on  the  cross — J  esus  who  was  made 
perfect  by  sufferings,  Jesus  who  cried  out,  '  My  God ! 
my  God  !  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?' 

If  Christ  had  to  be  made  perfect  by  sufferings,  much 
more  must  we.  If  he  needed  to  learn  obedience  by 
sorrow,  much  more  must  we.  If  he  needed  in  the  days 
of  his  flesh,  to  make  supplication  to  God  his  Father 
with  strong  crying  and  tears,  so  do  we.  And  if  he  was 
heard  in  that  he  feared,  so,  I  trust,  we  shall  be  heard 
likewise.  If  he  needed  to  taste  even  the  most  horrible 
misery  of  all ;  to  feel  for  a  moment  that  God  had  for- 
saken him ;  surely  we  must  expect,  if  we  are  to  be  made 
like  him,  to  have  to  drink  at  least  one  drop  out  of  his 
bitter  cup.  It  is  very  wonderful :  but  yet  it  is  full  of 
hope  and  comfort.  Full  of  hope  and  comfort  to  be  able, 
in  our  darkest  and  bitterest  sorrow,  to  look  up  to  heaven, 
and  say,  At  least  there  is  one  who  has  been  through  all 
this.  As  Christ  was,  so  are  we  in  this  world;  and  the 
disciple  cannot  be  above  his  master.  Yes,  we  are  in 
this  world  as  he  was,  and  he  was  once  in  this  world  as 
we  are.  He  has  been  through  all  this,  and  more.  He 
knows  all  this  and  more.  '  We  have  a  High  Priest  above 
us  who  can  be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities, 
because  he  has  been  tempted  in  all  things  like  as  we  arc. 
yet  without  sin.' 


DAK  A'  TIMES. 


Yes,  my  friends.  Nothing  like  one  honest  look,  one 
honest  thought,  of  Christ  upon  his  cross.  That  tells  us 
how  much  he  has  been  through,  how  much  he  endured, 
how  much  he  conquered,  how  much  God  loved  us,  who 
spared  not  his  only-begotten  Son,  but  freely  gave  him  for 
us.  Dare  we  doubt  such  a  God?  Dare  we  murmur 
against  such  a  God?  Dare  we  lay  the  blame  of  our 
sorrows  on  such  a  God — our  Father?  No;  let  us  be- 
lieve the  blessed  message  of  our  confirmation,  which 
tells  us  that  it  is  his  Fatherly  hand  which  is  ever  over  us, 
and  that  even  though  that  hand  may  seem  heavy  for 
awhile,  it  is  the  hand  of  him  whose  very  being  and  sub- 
stance is  love,  who  made  the  world  by  love,  by  love 
redeemed  man,  by  love  sustains  him  still  Though  we 
went  down  into  hell,  says  David,  he  is  there ;  though  we 
took  the  wings  of  the  morning,  and  fled  into  the  utter- 
most part  of  the  sea,  yet  there  his  hand  would  hold  us, 
and  his  right  hand  guide  us  still.  It  is  holding  and 
guiding  eveiy  one  of  us  now,  through  storm  as  well  as 
through  sunshine,  through  grief  as  well  as  through  joy; 
let  us  humble  ourselves  under  that  mighty  hand,  and  it 
will  exalt  us  in  due  time.  He  knows,  and  must  know, 
when  that  due  time  is,  and,  till  then,  he  is  still  love,  and 
his  mercy  is  over  all  his  works. 


SERMON  XXIX. 


GOD'S  CREATION. 


Genesis  L  31. 


And  God  saw  everything  that  he  had  made,  and  behold  it  was 


'HIS  is  good  news,  and  a  gospeL    The  Bible  was 


written  to  bring  good  news,  and  therefore  with 
good  news  it  begins,  and  with  good  news  it  ends. 

But  it  is  not  so  easy  to  believe.  We  want  faith  to 
believe ;  and  that  faith  will  be  sometimes  sorely  tried. 

Yes ;  we  want  faith.  As  St  Paul  says :  '  Through 
faith  we  understand  that  the  worlds  were  framed  by  the 
word  of  God;  so  that  things  which  are  seen  were  not 
made  of  things  which  appear.' 

No  one  can  prove  to  us  that  God  made  the  world ; 
yet  we  must  believe  it ;  and  what  is  more,  we  do  believe 
it,  and  are  certain  of  it  But  all  the  proving  and  argu- 
ments in  the  world  will  not  make  us  certain  that  God 
made  the  world ;  they  will  only  make  us  feel  that  it  is 
probable,  that  it  is  reasonable  to  think  so.  What,  then, 
does  make  us  certain  that  God  made  the  world? — as 
certain  as  if  we  had  seen  him  make  it  ?  Faith,  which  is 
stronger  than  all  arguments.  Faith,  which  comes  down 
from  heaven  to  our  hearts,  and  is  the  gift  of  God.  Faith, 


fccjr  good. 


230 


COD'S  CREATION. 


[SERM. 


■which  is  the  light  with  which  Jesus  Christ  lights  us. 
Faith,  which  comes  by  the  inspiration  of  God's  Holy 
Spirit. 

So,  again,  when  we  have  to  believe  not  only  that  God 
made  the  world,  but  that  all  things  which  he  has  made 
are  very  good. 

So  it  is,  and  you  must  believe  it.  God  is  good,  the 
absolute  and  perfect  good ;  and  from  good  nothing  can 
come  but  good :  and  therefore  all  which  God  has  made 
is  good,  as  he  is ;  and  therefore  if  anything  in  the  world 
seems  to  be  bad,  one  of  two  things  must  be  true  of  it. 

i.  Either  it  is  not  bad,  though  it  seems  so  to  us ;  and 
God  will  bring  good  out  of  it  in  his  good  time,  and  justify 
himself  to  men,  and  show  us  that  he  is  holy  in  all  his 
works,  and  righteous  in  all  his  ways. 

Or  else— 

If  the  thing  be  really  bad,  then  God  did  not  make 
it.  It  must  be  a  disease,  a  mistake,  a  failure,  of  man's 
making,  or  some  person's  making,  but  not  of  God's 
making.  For  all  that  he  has  made  he  sees  eternally; 
and  behold,  it  is  very  good. 

Now,  I  can  say  that;  and  I  believe  it;  and  God 
grant  I  may  never  say  anything  else.  And  yet  I  cannot 
prove  it  to  you  by  any  argument.  But  I  believe  it ;  and 
I  dare  say  many  of  you  believe  it  (you  all  must  believe 
it,  before  all  is  over),  by  something  better  than  any  argu- 
ment. By  faith — faith,  which  speaks  to  the  very  core 
and  root  of  a  man's  heart  and  reason,  and  teaches  him 
things  surer  and  deeper  than  all  sermons  and  books,  all 
proofs  and  arguments. 


XXIX.] 


COD'S  CREATION. 


May  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  fill  our  hearts  with 
his  Holy  Spirit  of  faith,  that  we  may  believe  utterly  in 
his  goodness,  and  therefore  believe  in  the  goodness  of 
all  that  he  has  made. 

For  at  times  we  shall  need  that  faith  very  much 
indeed,  not  only  about  our  neighbours,  but  about  our- 
selves. We  shall  find  it  hard  to  believe  that  there  is 
goodness  in  some  of  our  neighbours ;  and  the  better  we 
know  ourselves,  we  shall  find  it  very  difficult  to  believe 
that  there  is  goodness  in  us. 

For  surely  this  is  a  great  puzzle. 

'  God  saw  everything  that  he  had  made,  and  behold 
it  was  very  good.'  And  God  made  you  and  me.  Are 
we  therefore  very  good  ?  Or  were  we  ever  very  good  ? 
Here  is  a  great  mystery.  It  would  seem  as  if  we  must 
have  been  very  good  if  God  made  us-  For  God  can 
make  nothing  bad.  Surely  not.  For  he  who  makes 
bad  things  is  a  bad  maker ;  he  who  makes  bad  houses 
is  a  bad  builder ;  and  he  who  makes  bad  men  is  a  bad 
maker  of  men.  But  God  cannot  be  a  bad  maker ;  for 
he  is  perfect  and  without  fault  in  all  his  works.  Yet 
men  are  bad. 

Yet,  on  the  other  hand,  if  God  made  us,  and  the 
Bible  be  true,  there  must  be  good  in  us.  When  God 
said,  Let  that  man  be;  when  God  first  thought  of  us, 
if  I  may  so  speak,  before  the  foundation  of  the  world — 
he  thought  of  us  as  good.  He  created  each  of  us  good 
in  his  own  mind,  else  he  would  not  have  created  us  at 
all  But  why  were  we  not  good  when  we  came  on  earth  ? 
Why  do  we  come  into  this  world  sinful?   Why  does 


232 


GOD'S  CREATION. 


[SERM. 


God's  thought  of  us,  God's  purpose  about  us,  seem  to 
have  failed  ?  We  do  not  know,  and  we  need  not  know. 
St.  Paul  tells  us  that  it  came  by  Adam's  fall;  that  by- 
Adam's  fall  sin  entered  into  the  world,  and  each  man,  as 
he  came  into  it,  became  sinful.  How  that  was  we  cannot 
understand — we  need  not  understand.  Let  us  believe, 
and  be  silent ;  but  let  us  believe  this  also,  that  St.  Paul 
speaks  truth  not  in  this  only  but  in  that  blessed  and 
glorious  news  with  which  he  follows  up  his  sad  and  bad 
news.  'As  by  the  offence  of  one,  judgment  came  upon 
all  men  to  condemnation ;  even  so  by  the  righteousness 
of  one,  the  free  gift  came  upon  all  men  to  justification  of 
life.' 

Yes ;  we  may  say  boldly  now,  Whatever  has  been ; 
whatever  sin  I  inherited  from  Adam;  however  sinful  I 
came  into  this  world,  God  looks  on  me  now,  not  as  I 
am  in  Adam,  but  as  I  am  in  Christ.  I  am  in  Christ 
now,  baptized  into  Christ,  a  new  creature  in  Christ ;  to 
Christ  I  belong,  and  not  to  Adam  at  all ;  and  God  looks 
now,  not  on  the  old  corrupt  nature  which  I  inherited 
from  Adam,  but  on  the  new  and  good  grace  which  God 
meant  for  me  from  all  eternity,  which  Christ  has  given 
me  now.  It  is  that  good  and  new  grace  in  me  which 
God  cares  for ;  it  is  that  good  and  new  grace  which  God 
is  working  on,  to  strengthen  and  perfect  it,  that  I  may 
grow  in  grace,  and  in  the  likeness  of  Christ,  and  become 
at  last  what  God  intended  me  to  be,  when  he  thought  of 
me  first  before  the  foundation  of  all  worlds,  and  said, 
'  Let  us  make  man  [not  one  man,  but  all  men,  male  and 
female]  in  our  image,  after  our  likeness.' 


xxix.] 


GOD'S  CREATION. 


233 


This,  again,  is  a  great  mystery.  Yet  our  own  hearts 
will  tell  us,  if  we  will  look  at  them,  that  it  is  true.  Are 
there  not,  as  it  were,  two  different  persons  in  us,  fighting  for 
the  mastery?  Are  we  not  so  different  at  different  times> 
that  we  seem  to  ourselves,  and  to  our  neighbours,  perhaps, 
to  be  two  different  people,  according  as  we  give  way  to 
the  better  nature  or  to  the  worse?  Even  as  David — 
one  year  living  a  heroic  and  noble  life  by  faith  in  God, 
writing  Psalms  which  will  live  to  the  world's  end,  and 
the  next  committing  adultery  and  murder.  Were  those 
two  Davids  the  same  David  ?  Yes ;  and  yet  No.  The 
good  and  noble  David  was  David  when  he  obeyed  the 
grace  of  God.  The  base  and  foul  David  was  David 
when  he  gave  way  to  his  fallen  and  corrupt  nature. 

Even  so  might  we  be.  Even  so,  in  a  less  degree, 
are  we  sometimes  so  unlike  ourselves,  so  ashamed  of 
ourselves,  so  torn  asunder  with  passions  and  lusts,  de- 
lighting in  God's  law  and  all  that  is  good  in  our  hearts, 
and  yet  finding  another  law  in  us  which  makes  us  slaves 
at  moments  to  our  basest  passions — to  anger,  fear,  spite, 
covetousness — that  when  we  think  of  it  we  are  ready  to 
cry  with  St.  Paul,  'Oh,  wretched  man  that  I  am,  who 
shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death?' 

Who  ?  Who  but  he  of  whom  St.  Paul  tells  us,  gives 
the  answer  in  the  very  next  verse,  *  I  thank  God,  that 
God  himself  will,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.' 

Oh,  my  friends,  whosoever  of  you  have  ever  felt  angry 
with  yourselves,  discontented  with  yourselves,  ashamed  of 
yourselves  (and  he  that  has  not  felt  so  knows  no  more 
about  himself  than  a  dumb  animal  does)— you  that  have 


234  GOD'S  CREATION.  [SERM. 


felt  so,  listen  to  St.  Paul's  glorious  news  and  take  comfort. 
Do  you  wish  to  be  right  ?  Do  you  wish  to  be  what  God 
intended  you  to  be  before  all  worlds?  Do  you  wish  that 
of  you  the  glorious  words  may  come  true,  'And  God 
saw  all  that  he  had  made,  and  behold  it  w:as  very  good?' 

Then  believe  this.  That  all  which  is  good  in  you 
God  has  made ;  and  that  he  will  take  care  of  what  he 
has  made,  for  he  loves  it ;  that  all  which  is  bad  in  you, 
God  has  not  made,  and  therefore  he  will  destroy  it ;  for 
he  hates  all  that  he  has  not  made,  and  will  not  suffer  it 
in  his  world ;  and  that  if  you,  your  heart,  your  will,  are 
enlisted  on  the  good  side,  if  you  are  wishing  and  trying 
that  the  good  nature  in  you  should  conquer  the  bad, 
then  you  are  on  the  side  of  God  himself,  and  God  him- 
self is  on  your  side ;  and  '  if  God  be  for  you,  who  shall 
be  against  you  ?'  Before  all  worlds,  from  eternity  itself, 
God  said,  '  Let  us  make  man  in  our  own  likeness  f  and 
nothing  can  hinder  God's  word  but  the  man  himself. 
The  word  of  God  comes  down,  says  the  prophet,  as  the 
rain  and  the  dew  from  heaven,  and,  like  the  rain  and 
dew,  returns  not  to  him  void,  but  prospers  in  the  thing 
whereto  he  sends  it;  only  if  the  ground  be  hard  and 
barren,  and  determined  to  bring  forth  thorns  and  briars, 
rather  than  corn  and  fruit,  is  it  cursed,  and  near  to  burn- 
ing ;  and  only  if  a  man  loves  his  fallen  nature  better  than 
the  noble,  just,  loving,  generous  grace  of  God,  and  gives 
himself  willingly  up  to  the  likeness  of  the  beasts  which 
perish,  can  God's  purpose  towards  him  become  of  none 
effect. 

Take  courage,  then.     If  thou  dislikest  thy  sins,  so 


XXIX.] 


GOD'S  CREATION. 


=  35 


does  God.  If  thou  art  fighting  against  thy  worse  feelings, 
so  is  God.  On  thy  side  is  God  who  made  all,  and  Christ 
who  died  for  all,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  who  alone  gives 
wisdom,  purity,  nobleness.  How  canst  thou  fail  when 
he  is  on  thy  side?  On  thy  side  are  all  spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfect,  all  wise  and  good  souls  and  persons 
in  earth  and  heaven,  all  good  and  wholesome  influences, 
whether  of  nature  or  of  grace,  of  matter  or  of  mind. 
How  canst  thou  fail  if  they  are  on  thy  side  ?  God,  I 
say,  and  all  that  God  has  made,  are  working  together  to 
bring  true  of  thee  the  word  of  God — '  And  God  saw  all 
that  he  had  made,  and  behold  it  was  very  good.'  Be- 
lieve, and  endure  to  the  end,  and  thou  shalt  be  found  in 
Christ  at  the  last  day;  and,  being  in  Christ,  have  thy 
share  at  last  in  the  blessing  which  the  Father  pronounces 
everlastingly  on  Christ,  and  on  the  members  of  Christ, 
1  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.' 
Amen. 


SERMON  XXX. 


TRUE  PRUDENCE. 


Matthew  vi.  34. 


Take,  therefore,  no  thought  for  the  morrow :  for  the  morrow  shall 
take  thought  for  the  things  of  itself.  Sufficient  unto  the  day  is 
the  evil  thereof. 

T  ET  me  say  a  few  words  to  you  on  this  text.  Be 


not  anxious,  it  tells  you.  And  why?  Because 
you  have  to  be  prudent.  In  practice,  fretting  and 
anxiety  help  no  man  towards  prudence.  We  must  all 
be  as  prudent  and  industrious  as  we  can ;  agreed.  But 
does  fretting  make  us  the  least  more  prudent?  Does 
anxiety  make  us  the  least  more  industrious?  On  the 
contrary,  I  know  nothing  which  cripples  a  man  more, 
and  hinders  him  working  manfully,  than  anxiety.  Look 
at  the  worst  case  of  all — at  a  man  who  is  melancholy, 
and  fancies  that  all  is  going  wrong  with  him,  and  that 
he  must  be  ruined,  and  has  a  mind  full  of  all  sorts  of 
dark,  hopeless,  fancies.  Does  he  work  any  the  more,  or 
try  to  escape  one  of  these  dangers  which  he  fancies  are 
hanging  over  him  ?  So  far  from  it,  he  gives  himself  up 
to  them  without  a  struggle;  he  sits  moping,  helpless, 
and  useless,  and  says,  'There  is  no  use  in  struggling. 
If  it  will  come,  it  must  come.'  He  has  lost  spirit  for 
work,  and  lost  the  mind  for  work,  too.     His  mind  is 


TRUE  PRUDENCE. 


237 


so  full  of  these  dark  fears  that  he  cannot  turn  it  to 
laying  any  prudent  plan  to  escape  from  the  very  things 
which  he  dreads. 

And  so,  in  a  less  degree,  with  people  who  fret  and  are 
anxious.  They  may  be  in  a  great  bustle,  but  they  do 
not  get  their  work  done.  They  run  hither  and  thither, 
trying  this  and  that,  but  leaving  everything  half  done,  to 
fly  off  to  something  else.  Or  else  they  spend  time  un- 
profitably  in  dreaming,  and  expecting,  and  complaining, 
which  might  be  spent  profitably  in  working.  And  they 
are  always  apt  to  lose  their  heads,  and  their  tempers, 
just  when  they  need  them  most ;  to  do  in  their  hurry 
the  very  last  things  which  they  ought  to  have  done ;  to 
try  so  many  roads  that  they  choose  the  wrong  road  after 
all,  from  mere  confusion,  and  run  with  open  eyes  into 
the  very  pit  which  they  have  been  afraid  of  falling  into. 
As  we  say  here,  they  will  go  all  through  the  wood  to  cut 
a  straight  stick,  and  bring  out  a  crooked  one  at  last. 
My  friends,  even  in  a  mere  worldly  way,  the  men  whom 
I  have  seen  succeed  best  in  life  have  always  been  cheer- 
ful and  hopeful  men,  who  went  about  their  business  with 
a  smile  on  their  faces,  and  took  the  changes  and  chances 
of  this  mortal  life  like  men,  facing  rough  and  smooth 
alike  as  it  came,  and  so  found  the  truth  of  the  old 
proverb,  that  '  Good  times,  and  bad  times,  and  all  times 
pass  over.'  Of  all  men,  perhaps,  who  have  lived  in  our 
days,  the  most  truly  successful  was  the  great  Duke  of 
Wellington ;  and  one  thing,  I  believe,  which  helped  him 
most  to  become  great,  was  that  he  was  so  wonderfully 
free  from  vain  fretting  and  complaining,  free  from  useless 


TRUE  PRUDENCE. 


[SERM. 


regrets  about  the  past,  from  useless  anxieties  for  the 
future.  Though  he  had  for  years  on  his  shoulders  a  re- 
sponsibility which  might  have  well  broken  down  the 
spirit  of  any  man ;  though  the  lives  of  thousands  of 
brave  men,  and  the  welfare  of  great  kingdoms — ay, 
humanly  speaking,  the  fate  of  all  Europe — depended  on 
his  using  his  wisdom  in  the  right  place,  and  one  mistake 
might  have  brought  ruin  and  shame  on  him  and  on  tens 
of  thousands ;  yet  no  one  ever  saw  him  anxious,  con- 
fused, terrified.  Though  for  many  years  he  was  much 
tried  and  hampered,  and  unjustly  and  foolishly  kept  from 
doing  his  work  as  he  knew  it  ought  to  be  done,  yet  when 
the  time  came  for  work,  his  head  was  always  clear,  his 
spirit  was  always  ready ;  and  therefore  he  succeeded  in 
the  most  marvellous  way.  Solomon  says,  'Better  is  he 
that  ruleth  his  spirit,  than  he  that  taketh  a  city.'  Now 
the  Great  Duke  had  learnt  in  most  things  to  rule  his 
spirit,  and  therefore  he  was  able  not  only  to  take  cities, 
but  to  do  better  still,  to  deliver  cities, — ay,  and  whole 
countries — out  of  the  hand  of  armies  often  far  stronger, 
humanly  speaking,  than  his  own. 

And  for  an  example  of  what  I  mean  I  will  tell  you 
a  story  of  him  which  I  know  to  be  true.  Some  one 
once  asked  him  what  his  secret  was  for  winning  battles. 
And  he  said  that  he  had  no  secret;  that  he  did  not 
know  how  to  win  battles,  and  that  no  man  knew.  For 
all,  he  said,  that  man  could  do,  was  to  look  beforehand 
steadily  at  all  the  chances,  and  lay  all  possible  plans 
beforehand :  but  from  the  moment  the  battle  began,  he 
said,  no  mortal  prudence  was  of  use,  and  no  mortal  man 


XXX.] 


TRUE  PRUDENCE. 


239 


could  know  what  the  end  would  be.  A  thousand  new 
accidents  might  spring  up  every  hour,  and  scatter  all  his 
plans  to  the  winds ;  and  all  that  man  could  do  was  to 
comfort  himself  with  the  thought  that  he  had  done  his 
best,  and  to  trust  in  God. 

Now,  my  friends,  learn  a  lesson  from  this,  a  lesson 
for  the  battle  of  life,  which  every  one  of  us  has  to  fight 
from  our  cradle  to  our  grave — the  battle  against  misery, 
poverty,  misfortune,  sickness ;  the  battle  against  worse 
enemies  even  than  they — the  battle  against  our  own 
weak  hearts,  and  the  sins  which  so  easily  beset  us; 
against  laziness,  dishonesty,  profligacy,  bad  tempers, 
hard-heartedness,  deserved  disgrace,  the  contempt  of  our 
neighbours,  and  just  punishment  from  Almighty  God. 
Take  a  lesson,  I  say,  from  the  Great  Duke  for  the  battle 
of  life.  Be  not  fretful  and  anxious  about  the  morrow. 
Face  things  like  men ;  count  the  chances  like  men ;  lay 
your  plans  like  men  :  but  remember,  like  men,  that  a 
fresh  chance  may  any  moment  spoil  all  your  plans  j  re- 
member that  there  are  thousand  dangers  round  you  from 
which  your  prudence  cannot  save  you.  Do  your  best ; 
and  then  like  the  Great  Duke,  comfort  yourselves  with 
the  thought  that  you  have  done  your  best ;  and  like  him, 
trust  in  God.  Remember  that  God  is  really  and  in  very 
truth  your  Father,  and  that  without  him  not  a  sparrow 
falls  to  the  ground ;  and  are  ye  not  of  more  value  than 
many  sparrows,  O  ye  of  little  faith  ?  Remember  that  he 
knows  what  you  have  need  of  before  you  ask  him ;  that 
he  gives  you  all  day  long  of  his  own  free  generosity  a 
thousand  things  for  which  you  never  dream  of  asking 


240  TRUE  PRUDENCE.  [SERM. 


him  ;  and  believe  that  in  all  the  chances  and  changes  of 
this  life,  in  bad  luck  as  well  as  in  /^ood,  in  failure  as  well 
as  success,  in  poverty  as  well  as  wealth,  in  sickness  as 
well  as  health,  he  is  giving  you  and  me,  and  all  mankind 
good  gifts,  which  we  in  our  ignorance,  and  our  natural 
dread  of  what  is  unpleasant,  should  never  dream  of  ask- 
ing him  for :  but  which  are  good  for  us  nevertheless ; 
like  him  from  whom  they  come,  the  Father  of  lights, 
from  whom  comes  every  good  and  perfect  gift ;  who  is 
neither  neglectful,  capricious,  or  spiteful,  for  in  him  is 
neither  variableness,  nor  shadow  of  turning,  but  who  is 
always  loving  unto  every  man,  and  his  mercy  is  over  all 
his  works. 

Bear  this  in  mind,  my  friends,  in  all  the  troubles  of 
life — that  you  have  a  Father  in  heaven  who  knows  what 
you  have  need  of  before  you  ask  him,  and  your  infirmity 
in  asking,  and  who  is  wont — is  regularly  accustomed  all 
day  long — to  give  you  more  than  either  you  desire  or 
deserve.  And  bear  it  in  mind  even  more  carefully,  if 
you  ever  become  anxious  and  troubled  about  your  own 
soul,  and  the  life  to  come. 

Many  people  are  troubled  with  such  anxieties,  and  are 
continually  asking,  'Shall  I  be  saved  or  noti"  In  some 
this  anxiety  comes  from  bad  teaching,  and  the  hearing  of 
false,  cruel,  and  superstitious  doctrine.  In  others  it  seems 
to  be  mere  bodily  disease,  constitutional  weakness  and 
fearfulness,  which  prevents  their  fighting  against  dark  and 
sad  thoughts  when  they  arise ;  but  in  both  cases  I  think 
that  it  is  the  devil  himself  who  tempts  them,  the  devil 
himself  who  takes  advantage  of  their  bodily  weakness, 


XXX.] 


TRUE  PRUDENCE. 


241 


or  of  the  false  doctrines  which  they  have  heard,  and 
begins  whispering  in  their  ears,  '  You  have  no  Father  in 
heaven.  God  does  not  love  you.  His  promises  are  not 
meant  for  you.  He  does  not  will  your  salvation,  but 
your  damnation,  and  there  is  no  hope  for  you;'  till  the 
poor  soul  falls  into  what  is  called  religious  melancholy, 
and  moping  madness,  and  despair,  and  dread  of  the 
devil  j  and  often  believes  that  the  devil  has  got  complete 
power  over  him,  and  that  he  is  the  slave  of  Satan  for 
ever,  till,  in  some  cases,  the  man  is  even  driven  to  kill 
himself  in  the  agony  of  his  despair. 

Now,  my  friends,  the  true  answer  to  all  such  dark 
thoughts  is,  'Your  Heavenly  Father  knows  what  you 
have  need  of  before  you  ask  him;  therefore  be  not 
anxious  about  the  morrow,  for  the  morrow  shall  take 
care  for  the  things  of  itself;  sufficient  for  the  day  is 
the  evil  thereof.' 

For  in  the  first  place,  my  friends,  the  devil  was  a 
liar  from  the  beginning,  and  therefore  the  chances  are 
a  million  to  one  against  his  speaking  the  truth  in  any 
case;  and  if  he  tells  you  that  you  are  going  to  be 
damned,  I  should  take  that  for  a  fair  sign  that  you  were 
not  going  to  be  damned,  simply  because  the  devil  says  it, 
and  therefore  it  cannot  be  true.  No,  my  friends,  the 
people  who  have  real  reason  to  be  afraid  are  just  those 
who  are  not  afraid — the  self-conceited,  self-satisfied  souls ; 
for  the  devil  attacks  them  too,  as  he  does  every  one,  by 
their  weakest  point,  and  has  his  lie  ready  for  them,  and 
whispers,  '  You  are  all  right ;  you  are  safe ;  you  cannot 
fall;  your  salvation  is  sure.'    Or  else,  'You  hold  the 

R 


242  TRUE  PRUDENCE.  [SERM. 


right  doctrine;  you  are  orthodox,  and  perfectly  right, 
and  whoever  differs  from  you  must  be  wrong;'  and  so 
tempts  them  to  vain  confidence  and  unclean  living,  or 
else  into  pride,  hardness  of  heart,  self-willed  and  self- 
conceited  quarrelling  and  slandering  and  lying  for  the 
sake  of  their  own  party  in  the  Church.  It  is  the  self- 
confident  ones  who  have  reason  to  fear  and  tremble ;  for 
after  pride  comes  a  fall.  They  have  reason  to  fear,  lest 
while  they  are  crying  peace  and  safety,  and  thanking 
God  that  they  are  not  as  other  men  are,  sudden  de- 
struction come  on  them ;  but  you  anxious,  trembling 
souls,  who  are  terrified  at  the  sight  of  your  own  sins : 
you  who  feel  how  weak  you  are,  and  ignorant,  and  con- 
fused, and  unworthy  to  do  aught  but  cry,  '  God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner !'  you  are  the  very  ones  who 
have  least  reason  to  be  afraid,  just  because  you  are  most 
afraid :  you  are  the  true  penitents  over  whom  your 
Father  in  heaven  rejoices;  you  are  those  of  whom  he 
has  said,  '  I  am  the  High  and  Holy  One  who  inhabiteth 
eternity;  yet  I  dwell  with  him  that  is  of  an  humble  and 
contrite  heart,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to 
comfort  the  soul  of  the  contrite  ones ;'  as  he  will  revive 
and  comfort  you,  if  you  will  only  have  faith  in  God,  and 
take  your  stand  on  your  baptism,  and  from  that  safe 
ground  defy  the  devil  and  all  his  dark  imaginations,  say- 
ing, 'I  am  God's  child,  and  God  is  my  father,  and 
Christ's  blood  was  shed  for  me,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
God  is  with  me;  and. in  the  strength  of  my  baptism,  I 
will  hope  against  hope;  I  trust  in  the  Lord  my  God, 
»ho  has  called  me  into  this  state  of  salvation,  that  he 


XXX.] 


TRUE  PRUDENCE. 


-43 


will  keep  to  the  end  the  soul  which  I  have  committed  to 
him  through  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord.' 

Yes.  Be  not  anxious  for  the  morrow,  and  much 
more,  be  not  anxious  for  the  life  to  come.  Your 
Heavenly  Father  knew  that  you  had  need  of  salvation 
long  before  you  asked  him.  Eighteen  hundred  years 
before  you  were  born,  he  sent  his  Son  into  the  world 
to  die  for  you ;  when  you  were  but  an  infant  he  called 
you  to  be  baptized  into  his  Church,  and  receive  your 
share  of  his  Spirit.  Long  before  you  thought  of  him, 
he  thought  of  you ;  long  before  you  loved  him,  he  loved 
you  ;  and  if  he  so  loved  you,  that  he  spared  not  his  only 
begotten  Son,  but  freely  gave  him  for  you,  will  he  not 
with  that  Son  freely  give  you  all  things  ?  Therefore,  fear 
not,  little  flock ;  it  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give 
you  the  kingdom. 

And  be  not  anxious  about  the  morrow ;  for  the  morrow 
shall  be  anxious  about  the  things  of  itself.  Be  anxious 
about  to-day,  if  you  will ;  and  '  work  out  your  salvation 
with  fear  and  trembling for  it  is  God  who  works  in  you 
to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure  ;  and  therefore  you 
can  do  right ;  and  therefore,  again,  it  is  your  own  fault  if 
you  do  not  do  right.  And  yet,  for  that  very  reason,  be 
not  over  anxious ;  for  '  if  God  be  with  you,  who  can  be 
against  you?'  If  God,  who  is  so  mighty  that  he  made 
all  heaven  and  earth,  be  on  our  side,  surely  stronger  is 
he  that  is  with  you  than  he  that  is  against  you.  If  God, 
who  so  loved  you  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son  for 
you,  be  on  your  side,  surely  you  have  a  friend  whom  you 
can  trust.    '  What  can  part  you  from  his  love  ?'  St.  Paul 


244  TRUE  PRUDENCE.  [SERM. 


asks  you;  from  God's  love,  which  is  as  boundless  and 
eternal  as  God  himself;  nothing  can  part  you  from  it, 
but  your  own  sin. 

But  I  do  sin,'  you  say,  'again  and  again,  and  that  is 
what  makes  me  fearful.  I  try  to  do  better,  but  I  fall 
and  I  fail  all  day  long.  I  try  not  to  be  covetous  and 
worldly,  but  poverty  tempts  me,  and  I  fall ;  I  try  to  keep 
my  temper,  but  people  upset  me,  and  I  say  things  of 
which  I  am  bitterly  ashamed  the  next  minute.  Can  God 
love  such  a  one  as  me?'  My  answer  is,  If  God  loved 
the  whole  world  when  it  was  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins, 
and  not  trying  to  be  better,  much  more  will  he  love  you 
who  are  not  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  and  are  trying 
to  be  better.  If  he  were  not  still  helping  you ;  if  his 
Spirit  were  not  with  you,  you  would  care  no  more  to 
become  better  than  a  dog  or  an  ox  cares.  And  if  you 
fall — why,  arise  again.  Get  up,  and  go  on.  You  may  be 
sorely  bruised,  and  soiled  with  your  fall,  but  is  that  any 
reason  for  lying  still,  and  giving  up  the  struggle  cowardly  ? 
In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  arise  and  walk.  He  will 
wash  you,  and  you  shall  be  clean.  He  will  heal  you, 
and  you  shall  be  strong  again.  What  else  can  a  traveller 
expect  who  is  going  over  rough  ground  in  the  dark,  but 
to  fall  and  bruise  himself,  and  to  miss  his  way  too  many 
a  time :  but  is  that  any  reason  for  his  sitting  down  in  the 
middle  of  the  moor,  and  saying,  '  I  shall  never  get  to  my 
journey's  end?'  What  else  can  a  soldier  expect,  but 
wounds,  and  defeat,  too,  often ;  but  is  that  any  reason 
for  his  running  away,  and  crying,  '  We  shall  never  take 
the  place?'    If  our  brave  men  at  Sebastopol  had  done 


XXX.]  TRUE  PRUDENCE.  245 


so,  and  lost  heart  each  time  they  were  beaten  back,  not 
only  would  they  have  never  taken  the  place,  but  the 
Russians  would  have  driven  them  long  ago  into  the  sea, 
and  perhaps  not  a  man  of  them  would  have  escaped. 
And,  be  sure  of  it,  your  battle  is  like  theirs.  Every  one 
of  us  has  to  fight  for  the  everlasting  life  of  his  soul 
against  all  the  devils  of  hell,  and  there  is  no  use  in 
running  away  from  them ;  they  will  come  after  us  stronger 
than  ever,  unless  we  go  to  face  them.  As  with  our  men 
at  Sebastopol,  unless  we  beat  the  enemy,  the  enemy  will 
destroy  us ;  and  our  only  hope  is  to  fight  to-day's  battle 
like  men,  in  the  strength  which  God  gives  us,  and  trust 
him  to  give  us  strength  to  fight  to-morrow's  battle  too, 
when  it  comes.  For  here  again,  as  it  was  at  Sebastopol, 
so  it  is  with  our  souls.  Let  our  men  be  as  prudent  as 
they  might,  they  never  knew  what  to-morrow's  battle 
would  be  like,  or  where  the  enemy  might  come  upon 
them  ;  and  no  more  do  we.  They  in  general  could  not 
see  the  very  enemy  who  was  close  on  them ;  and  no 
more  can  we  see  our  enemy,  near  to  us  though  he  is. 
To-morrow's  temptations  may  be  quite  different  from 
to-day's.  To-day  we  may  be  tempted  to  be  dishonest, 
to-morrow  to  lose  our  tempers,  the  day  afterwards  to  be 
vain  and  conceited,  and  a  hundred  other  things.  Let 
the  morrow  be  anxious  about  the  things  of  itself,  then ; 
and  face  to-day's  enemy,  and  do  the  duty  which  lies 
nearest  you.  Our  brave  men  did  so.  They  kept  them- 
selves watchful,  and  took  all  the  precautions  they  could 
in  a  general  way,  just  as  we  ought  to  do  each  in  his  own 
habits  and  temper;  but  the  great  business  was,  to  go 


246 


TRUE  PRUDENCE. 


[SERM. 


steadily  on  at  their  work,  and  do  each  day  what  they 
could  do,  instead  of  giving  way  to  vain  fears  and  fancies 
about  what  they  might  have  to  do  some  day,  which 
would  have  only  put  them  out  of  heart,  and  confused 
and  distracted  them.  And  so  it  came  to  pass,  that  as 
their  day  so  their  strength  was ;  that  each  day  they  got 
forward  somewhat,  and  had  strength  and  courage  left 
besides  to  drive  back  each  new  assault  as  it  came ;  and 
so  at  last,  after  many  mistakes  and  many  failures,  through 
sickness  and  weakness,  thirst  and  hunger,  and  every 
misery  except  fear  which  can  fall  on  man,  they  conquered 
suddenly,  and  beyond  their  highest  hopes : — as  every 
one  will  conquer  suddenly,  and  beyond  his  highest  hope, 
who  fights  on  manfully  under  Christ's  banner  against 
sin;  against  the  sin  in  himself,  and  in  his  neighbours, 
and  in  his  parish,  and  faces  the  devil  and  his  works 
wheresoever  he  may  meet  them,  sure  that  the  devil  and 
his  works  must  be  conquered  at  the  last,  because  God's 
wrath  is  gone  out  against  them,  and  Christ,  who  executes 
God's  wrath,  will  never  sheath  his  sword  till  he  has  put 
all  enemies  under  his  feet,  and  death  be  swallowed  up  in 
victory. 

Therefore  be  not  anxious  about  the  morrow.  Do 
to-day's  duty,  fight  to-day's  temptation;  and  do  not 
weaken  and  distract  yourself  by  looking  forward  to  things 
which  you  cannot  see,  and  could  not  understand  if  you 
saw  them.  Enough  for  you  that  your  Saviour  for  whom 
you  fight  is  just  and  merciful ;  for  he  rewardeth  every 
man  according  to  his  work.  Enough  for  you  that  he  has 
said,  'He  that  is  faithful  unto  death,  I  will  give  him 


XXX.] 


TRUE  PRUDENCE. 


-47 


a  crown  of  life.'  Enough  for  you  that  if  you  be  faithful 
over  a  few  things,  he  will  make  you  ruler  over  many 
things,  and  bring  you  into  his  joy  for  evermore. 

But  as  for  vain  fears,  leave  them  to  those  who  will 
not  believe  God's  message  concerning  himself — that  he 
is  love,  and  his  mercy  over  all  his  works.  Leave  them 
for  those  who  deny  God's  righteousness,  by  denying  that 
he  has  had  pity  on  this  poor  fallen  world,  but  has  left  it 
to  itself  and  its  sins,  without  sending  any  one  to  save  it. 
And  for  real  fears,  leave  them  for  those  who  have  no 
fears ;  for  those  who  think  they  see,  and  yet  are  blind ; 
who  think  themselves  orthodox  and  infallible,  and  beyond 
making  a  mistake,  every  man  his  own  Pope;  who  say 
that  they  see,  and  therefore  their  sin  remaineth;  for 
those  who  thank  God  that  they  are  not  as  other  men 
are,  and  who  will  find  the  publicans  and  harlots  entering 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  before  them ;  and  for  those 
who  continue  in  sin  that  grace  may  abound,  and  call 
themselves  Christians,  while  they  bring  shame  on  the 
name  of  Christ  by  their  own  evil  lives,  by  their  world- 
liness  and  profligacy,  or  by  their  bitterness  and  quarrel- 
someness ;  who  make  religious  profession  a  by-word  and 
a  mockery  in  the  mouths  of  the  ungodly,  and  cause 
Christ's  little  ones  to  stumble.  Let  them  be  afraid,  if 
they  will;  for  it  were  better  for  them  that  a  millstone 
were  hanged  about  their  neck,  and  they  were  drowned  in 
the  midst  of  the  sea.  But  those  who  hate  their  sins, 
and  long  to  leave  their  sins  behind;  those  who  distrust 
themselves— let  them  not  be  anxious  about  the  morrow ; 
for  to-morrow,  and  to-day,  and  for  ever,  the  Almighty 


24S 


TRUE  PRUDENCE. 


Father  is  watching  over  them,  the  Lord  Jesus  guiding 
them  wisely  and  tenderly,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  inspiring 
them  more  and  more  to  do  all  those  good  works  which 
God  has  prepared  for  them  to  walk  in,  and  to  conquer 
in  the  life-long  battle  against  sin,  the  world,  and  the 
deviL 


SERMON  XXXI. 


THE  PENITENT  THIEF. 

Luke  xxiii.  42,  43. 

And  he  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  into 
thy  kingdom.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Verily  I  say  unto  thee, 
To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  paradise. 

HPHE  story  of  the  penitent  thief  is  a  most  beautiful 
and  affecting  one.  Christians'  hearts,  in  all  times, 
have  clung  to  it  for  comfort,  not  only  for  themselves, 
but  for  those  whom  they  loved.  Indeed,  some  people 
think  that  we  are  likely  to  be  too  fond  of  the  story. 
They  have  been  afraid  lest  people  should  build  too  much 
on  it ;  lest  they  should  fancy  that  it  gives  them  licence 
to  sin,  and  lead  bad  lives,  all  their  days,  provided  only 
they  repent  at  last ;  lest  it  should  countenance  too  much 
what  is  called  a  death-bed  repentance. 

Now,  God  forbid  that  I  should  try  to  narrow  Christ's 
Gospel.  Who  am  I,  to  settle  who  shall  be  saved,  and 
who  shall  not?  When  the  disciples  asked  the  Lord 
Jesus,  'Are  there  few  that  be  saved?'  he  would  not 
tell  them.  And  what  Christ  did  not  choose  to  tell,  I 
am  not  likely  to  know. 

But  I  must  say  openly,  that  I  cannot  see  what  the 
story  of  the  penitent  thief  has  to  do  with  a  death-bed 


250  THE  PENITENT  THIEF.  [SERM. 


repentance ;  and  for  this  plain  reason,  that  the  penitent 
thief  did  not  die  in  his  bed. 

On  the  contrary,  he  received  the  due  reward  of  his 
deeds.  He  was  crucified ;  publicly  executed,  by  the 
most  shameful,  painful,  and  lingering  torture ;  and  con- 
fessed that  it  was  no  more  than  he  deserved. 

Therefore,  if  any  man  say  to  himself — and  I  am  afraid 
that  some  do  say  to  themselves—'  I  know  I  am  leading 
a  bad  life;  and  I  have  no  mind  to  mend  it  yet;  the 
penitent  thief  repented  at  the  last,  and  was  forgiven ;  so 
I  dare  say  that  I  shall  be  f  one  has  a  right  to  answer 
him — '  Very  well ;  but  you  must  first  put  yourself  in  the 
penitent  thief's  place.  Are  you  willing  to  be  hanged,  or 
worse  than  hanged,  as  a  punishment  for  your  sins  in 
this  world?  For,  till  then,  the  penitent  thief  would 
certainly  not  be  on  the  same  footing  as  you.' 

If  a  man  says  to  himself,  I  will  go  on  sinning  now,  on 
the  chance  of  repenting  at  last,  and  '  making  my  peace 
with  God,'  he  is  not  like  the  penitent  thief.  He  is  much 
more  like  a  famous  Emperor  of  Rome,  who,  though  a 
Christian  in  name,  put  off  his  baptism  till  his  death-bed, 
fancying  that  by  it  his  sins  would  be  washed  away,  once 
and  for  all,  and  made  use  of  the  meantime  in  murdering 
his  eldest  son  and  his  nephew,  and  committing  a  thousand 
follies  and  cruelties.  Whether  his  death-bed  repentance, 
purposely  put  off  in  order  to  give  him  time  to  sin,  was  of 
any  use  to  him,  let  your  own  consciences  judge. 

Has,  then,  this  story  of  the  penitent  thief  no  comfort 
for  us  ?  God  forbid  !  Why  else  was  it  put  into  Christ's 
Gospel  of  good  news?    Surely,  there  is  comfort  in  it. 


XXXI.] 


THE  PENITENT  THIEF. 


Only  let  us  take  the  story  honestly,  and  word  for  word 
as  it  stands.  So  we  may  hope  to  be  taught  by  it  what 
it  was  meant  to  teach  us. 

He  was  a  robber.  The  word  means,  not  a  petty  thief, 
but  a  robber ;  and  his  being  put  to  such  a  terrible  death 
shows  the  same  thing.  Most  probably  he  had  belonged 
to  one  of  the  bands  of  robbers  which  haunted  the  moun- 
tains of  Judea  in  those  days,  as  they  used  in  old  times  to 
haunt  the  forests  in  England,  and  as  they  do  now  in 
Italy  and  Spain,  and  other  waste  and  wild  countries. 
Some  of  these  robbers  would,  of  course,  be  shameless 
and  hardened  ruffians;  as  that  robber  seems  to  have 
been  who  insulted  our  Lord  upon  the  very  cross.  Others 
among  them  would  not  be  lost  to  all  sense  of  good. 
Young  men  who  got  into  trouble  ran  away  from  home, 
and  joined  these  robber-bands,  and  found  pleasure  in 
the  wild  and  dangerous  life. 

There  is  a  beautiful  story  told  of  such  a  young  robber 
in  the  life  of  the  blessed  Apostle  St.  John.  A  young 
man  at  Ephesus  who  had  become  a  Christian,  and  of 
whom  St.  John  was  very  fond,  got  into  trouble  while 
St.  John  was  away,  and  had  to  flee  for  his  life  into  the 
mountains.  There  he  joined  a  band  of  robbers,  and 
was  so  daring  and  desperate  that  they  soon  chose  him 
as  their  captain.  St.  John  came  back,  and  found  the 
poor  lad  gone.  St.  John  had  stood  at  the  foot  of  the 
cross  years  before,  and  heard  his  Lord  pardon  the 
penitent  thief ;  and  he  knew  how  to  deal  with  such  wild 
souls.  And  what  did  he  do?  Give  him  up  for  lost? 
No !    He  set  off,  old  as  he  was,  by  himself,  straight  for 


252 


THE  PENITENT  THIEF.  [sERM. 


the  mountains,  in  spite  of  the  warnings  of  his  friends 
that  he  would  be  murdered,  and  that  this  young  man 
was  the  most  desperate  and  bloodthirsty  of  all  the  rob- 
bers. At  last  he  found  the  young  robber.  And  what 
did  the  robber  do  ?  As  soon  as  he  saw  St.  John  coming 
^before  St.  John  could  speak  a  word  to  him,  he  turned, 
and  ran  away  for  shame  ;  and  old  St.  John  followed  him, 
never  saying  a  harsh  word  to  him,  but  only  crying  after 
him,  '  My  son,  my  son,  come  back  to  your  father !'  and 
at  last  he  found  him,  where  he  was  hidden,  and  held 
him  by  his  clothes,  and  embraced  him,  and  pleaded  with 
him  so,  that  the  poor  fellow  burst  into  tears,  and  let 
St.  John  lead  him  away;  and  so  that  blessed  St.  John 
went  down  again  to  Ephesus  in  joy  and  triumph,  bring- 
ing his  lost  lamb  with  him. 

Now,  such  a  man  one  can  well  believe  this  penitent 
thief  to  have  been.  A  man  who,  however  bad  he  had 
been,  had  never  lost  the  feeling  that  he  was  meant  for 
better  things;  whose  conscience  had  never  died  out  in 
him.  He  may  have  been  such  a  man.  He  ?nust  have 
been  such  a  man.  For  such  faith  as  he  showed  on  the 
cross  does  not  grow  up  in  an  hour  or  a  day.  I  do  not 
mean  the  feeling  that  he  deserved  his  punishment  (that 
might  come  to  a  man  very  suddenly)  but  the  feeling  that 
Christ  was  the  Lord,  and  the  King  of  the  Jews.  He 
must  have  bought  that  by  terrible  struggles  of  mind,  by- 
bitter  shame  and  self-reproach.  He  had  heard,  I  sup- 
pose, of  Christ's  miracles  and  mercy,  of  his  teaching,  of 
his  being  the  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners,  had  ad- 
mired the  Lord  Jesus,  and  thought  him  excellent  and 


XXXI.]  THE  PENITENT  THIEF. 


-53 


noble.  But  he  could  not  have  done  that  without  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  God.  It  was  the  Holy  Spirit  striving 
with  his  sinful  heart,  which  convinced  him  of  Christ's 
righteousness.  But  the  Holy  Spirit  would  have  con- 
vinced him,  too,  of  his  own  sin.  The  more  he  admired 
our  Lord,  the  more  he  must  have  despised  himself  for 
being  unlike  our  Lord ;  and,  doubt  it  not,  he  had  passed 
many  bitter  hours,  perhaps  bitter  years,  seeing  what  was 
right,  and  yet  doing  what  was  wrong  from  bad  habits  or 
bad  company,  before  he  came  to  his  end  upon  the 
gallows-tree.  And  there  while  he  hung  in  torture  on  the 
cross,  the  whole  truth  came  to  him  at  last.  God's  Spirit 
shone  truly  on  him  at  last,  and  divided  the  light  from 
the  darkness  in  his  poor  wretched  heart.  All  the  good 
which  had  been  in  him  came  out  once  and  for  all. 
Christ's  light  had  been  shining  in  the  darkness  of  his 
heart,  and  the  darkness  had  been  trying  to  take  it  in, 
and  close  over  it,  but  it  could  not;  and  now  the  light 
had  conquered  the  darkness,  and  all  was  clear  to  him  at 
last.  He  never  despised  himself  so  much,  he  never  ad- 
mired Christ  so  much,  as  when  they  hung  side  by  side  in 
the  same  condemnation.  Side  by  side  they  hung,  scorned 
alike,  crucified  alike,  seemingly  come  alike  to  open  shame 
and  ruin.  And  yet  he  could  see  that  though  he  deserved 
all  his  misery,  that  the  man  who  hung  by  him  not  only 
did  not  deserve  it,  but  was  his  Lord,  the  Lord,  the  King 
of  the  Jews,  and  that — of  course  he  knew  not  how — the 
cross  would  not  destroy  him ;  that  he  would  come  in  his 
kingdom.  How  he  found  out  that,  no  man  can  tell ;  the 
Spirit  of  God  taught  him,  the  Spirit  of  God  alone,  to  see 


*54 


THE  PENITENT  THIEF.  [SERIL 


in  that  crucified  man  the  Lord  of  glory,  and  to  cast  him- 
self humbly  before  his  love  and  power,  in  hope  that  there 
might  be  mercy  even  for  him — '  Lord,  remember  me  when 
thou  comest  to  thy  kingdom.'  There  was  faith  indeed, 
and  humility  indeed;  royal  faith  and  royal  humility 
coming  out  in  that  dying  robber.  And  so,  if  you  ask — 
How  was  that  robber  justified  by  his  works?  How 
could  his  going  into  Paradise  be  the  receiving  of  the  due 
reward  of  the  deeds  done  in  his  body  whether  they  be 
good  or  evil.  I  say  he  was  justified  by  his  works.  He 
did  receive  the  dtiereward  of  tris  deeds.  One  great  and 
noble  deed,  even  that  saying  of  his  in  his  dying  agony, — 
that  showed  that  whatever  his  heart  had  been,  it  was 
now  right  with  God.  He  could  not  only  confess  God's 
justice  against  sin  in  his  own  punishment,  but  he  could 
see  God'«  beauty,  God's  glory,  yea,  God  himself  in  that 
man  who  hung  by  him,  helpless  like  himself,  scourged 
like  himself,  crucified  like  himself,  like  himself  a  scorn 
to  men.  He  could  know  that  Christ  was  Christ,  even 
on  the  cross,  and  know  that  Christ  would  conquer  yet, 
and  come  to  his  kingdom.  That  was  indeed  a  faith  in 
the  merits  of  Christ  enough  to  justify  him  or  any  man 
alive. 

Now  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  you  or  me  living  an 
easy,  comfortable  life  in  sin  here,  and  hoping  to  die  an 
easy,  comfortable  death  after  all,  and  get  to  heaven  by 
having  in  a  clergyman  to  read  and  pray  a  little  with  us ; 
and  saying  a  few  words  of  formal  repentance,  when 
perhaps  our  body  and  our  mind  are  so  worn  out  and 
dulled  by  illness  that  we  hardly  know  what  we  say? 


XXXI.]  THE  PENITENT  THIEF. 


255 


No,  my  friends,  if  our  hearts  be  right,  we  shall  not  think 
of  the  penitent  thief  to  give  us  comfort  about  our  own 
souls ;  but  we  shall  think  of  it  and  love  it,  to  give  us 
comfort  about  the  souls  of  many  a  man  or  woman  for 
whom  we  care. 

How  many  men  there  are  who  are  going  wrong,  very 
wrong;  and  yet  whom  we  cannot  help  liking,  even 
loving!  In  the  midst  of  all  their  sins,  there  is  some- 
thing in  them  which  will  not  let  us  give  them  up.  Per- 
haps, kind-heartedness.  Perhaps,  an  honest  respect  for 
good  men,  and  for  good  and  right  conduct ;  loving  the 
better,  while  they  choose  the  worse.  Perhaps,  a  real 
shame  and  sorrow  when  they  have  broken  out  and  done 
wrong ;  and  even  though  we  know  that  they  will  go  and 
do  wrong  again,  we  cannot  help  liking  them,  cannot 
give  them  up.  Then  let  us  believe  that  God  will  no: 
give  them  up,  any  more  than  he  gave  up  the  penitent 
thief.  If  there  be  something  in  them  that  we  love,  let 
us  believe  that  God  loves  it  also ;  and  what  is  more,  that 
God  put  it  into  them,  as  he  did  into  the  penitent  thief; 
and  let  us  hope  (we  cannot  of  course  be  certain,  but  we 
may  hope)  that  God  will  take  care  of  it,  and  make  it 
conquer,  as  he  did  in  the  penitent  thief.  Let  us  hope 
that  God's  light  will  conquer  their  darkness;  God's 
strength  conquer  their  weakness ;  God's  peace,  their 
violence;  God's  heavenly  grace  their  earthly  passions. 
Let  us  hope  for  them,  I  say. 

When  we  hear,  as  we  often  hear,  people  say,  'What 
a  noble-hearted  man  that  is  after  all,  and  yet  he  is  going 
to  the  devil ! '  let  us  remember  the  penitent  thief  and 


2$6 


THE  PENITENT  THIEF. 


[SERM. 


have  hope.  Who  would  have  seemed  to  have  gone  to 
the  devil  more  hopelessly  than  that  poor  thief  when  he 
hung  upon  the  cross  ?  And  yet  the  devil  did  not  have 
him.  There  was  in  him  a  seed  of  good,  and  of  eternal 
life,  which  the  devil  had  not  trampled  out ;  and  that  seed 
flowered  and  bore  fruit  upon  the  very  cross  in  noble 
thoughts  and  words  and  deeds.  Why  may  it  not  be  so 
with  others  ?  True,  they  may  receive  the  due  reward  of 
their  deeds.  They  may  end  in  shame  and  misery,  like 
the  penitent  thief.  Perhaps  it  may  be  good  for  them  to 
do  so.  If  a  man  will  sow  the  wind,  it  may  be  good  for 
him  to  reap  the  whirlwind,  and  so  find  out  that  sowing 
the  wind  will  not  prosper.    The  penitent  thief  did  so. 

I  As  the  proverb  is,  he  sowed  the  gallows-acorn,  poor 
wretch,  and  he  reaped  the  gallows-tree ;  but  that  gallows- 

■  tree  taught  him  to  confess  God's  justice,  and  his  own 
sin,  and  so  it  may  teach  others. 

Yes,  let  us  hope ;  and  when  we  see  some  one  whom 
we  love,  and  cannot  help  loving,  bringing  misery  on 
himself  by  his  own  folly,  let  us  hope  and  pray  that  the 
day  may  come  to  him  when,  in  the  midst  of  his  misery, 
all  that  better  nature  in  him  shall  come  out  once  and 
for  all,  and  he  shall  cry  out  of  the  deep  to  Christ,  'I 
only  receive  the  due  reward  of  my  deeds ;  I  have  earned 
my  shame ;  I  have  earned  my  sorrow.  Lord,  I  have 
deserved  it  all.  I  look  back  on  wasted  time  and  wasted 
powers.  I  look  round  on  ruined  health,  ruined  fortune, 
ruined  hopes,  and  confess  that  I  deserve  it  all.  But 
thou  hast  endured  more  than  this  for  me,  though  thou 
hast  deserved  nothing,  and  hast  done  nothing  amiss. 


XXXI.] 


THE  PENITENT  THIEF. 


^57 


Thou  hast  done  nothing  amiss  by  me.  Thou  hast  been 
fair  to  me,  and  given  me  a  fair  chance ;  and  more  than 
that,  thou  hast  endured  all  for  me.  For  me  thou  didst 
suffer;  for  me  thou  hast  been  crucified;  and  me  thou 
hast  been  trying  to  seek  and  to  save  all  through  the 
years  of  my  vanity.  Perhaps  I  have  not  wearied  out  thy 
love;  perhaps  I  have  not  conquered  thy  patience.  I 
will  take  the  blessed  chance.  I  will  still  cast  myself 
upon  thy  love.  Lord,  I  have  deserved  all  my  misery; 
yet,  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  into  thy 
kingdom. 

Oh,  my  friends,  let  us  hope  that  that  prayer  will  go 
up,  even  out  of  the  wildest  heart,  in  God's  good  time ; 
and  that  it  will  not  go  up  in  vain,  y 


S 


SERMON  XXXII. 


THE  TEMPER  OF  CHRIST. 

Philippians  ii.  4. 
Let  this  mind  be  in  you,  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus. 


HAT  mind  ?    What  sort  of  mind  and  temper  ought 


to  be  in  us?  St.  Paul  tells  us  in  this  chapter, 
very  plainly  and  at  length,  what  sort  of  temper  he  means  ; 
and  how  it  showed  itself  in  Christ ;  and  how  it  ought  to 
show  itself  in  us. 

'  All  of  you,'  he  tells  us,  1  be  like-minded,  having  the 
same  love;  being  of  one  accord,  of  one  mind.  Let 
nothing  be  done  through  strife  or  vain-glory:  but  in 
lowliness  of  mind  let  each  esteem  other  better  than  him- 
self. Look  not  every  man  on  his  own  things,  but  every 
man  also  on  the  things  of  others.' 

First,  be  like-minded,  having  the  same  love.  Men 
cannot  all  be  of  exactly  the  same  opinion  on  ever)'  point, 
simply  because  their  characters  are  different ;  and  the 
old  proverb,  '  Many  men,  many  minds,'  will  stand  true 
in  one  sense  to  the  end  of  the  world.  But  in  another 
sense  it  need  not.  People  may  differ  in  little  matters  of 
opinion,  without  hating  and  despising,  and  speaking  ill 
of  each  other  on  these  points ;  they  may  agree  to  differ, 
and  yet  keep  the  same  love  toward  God  and  toward  each 


THE  TEMPER  OF  CHRIST. 


259 


other;  they  may  keep  up  a  kindly  feeling  toward  each 
other ;  and  they  will  do  so,  if  they  have  in  their  hearts 
the  same  love  of  God.  If  we  really  love  God,  and  long 
to  do  good,  and  to  work  for  God ;  if  we  really  love  our 
neighbours,  and  wish  to  help  them,  then  we  shall  have 
no  heart  to  quarrel — indeed,  we  shall  have  no  time  to 
quarrel — about  how  the  good  is  to  be  done,  provided  it 
is  done ;  and  we  shall  remember  our  Lord's  own  words 
to  St.  John,  when  St.  John  said,  '  Master,  we  saw  one 
casting  out  devils  in  thy  name,  and  he  followeth  not  us  : 
wilt  thou  therefore  that  we  forbid  him?' 

And  Jesus  said,  '  Forbid  him  nof 

•  Forbid  him  not,'  said  Jesus  himself.  He  that  hath 
ears  to  hear  his  Saviour's  words,  let  him  hear. 

'Therefore,'  St.  Paul  says,  'let  nothing  be  done 
through  strife  or  vain-glory.'  It  is  a  very  sad  thing  to 
think  that  the  human  heart  is  so  corrupt,  that  we  should 
be  tempted  to  do  good,  and  to  show  our  piety,  through 
strife  or  vain-glory.  But  so  it  is.  Party  spirit,  pride, 
the  wish  to  show  the  world  how  pious  we  are,  the  wish 
to  make  ourselves  out  better  and  more  reverent  than  our 
neighbours,  too  often  creep  into  our  prayers  and  our 
worship,  and  turn  our  feasts  of  charity  into  feasts  of  un- 
charitableness,  vanity,  ambition. 

So  it  was  in  St.  Paul's  time.  Some,  he  says,  preached 
Christ  out  of  contention,  hoping  to  add  affliction  to  his 
bonds.  Not  that  he  hated  them  for  it,  or  tried  to  stop 
them.  Any  way,  he  said,  Christ  was  preached,  whether 
out  of  party-spirit  against  him,  or  out  of  love  to  Christ ; 
any  way  Christ  was  preached :  and  he  would  and  did 


260  THE  TEMPER  OF  CHRIST.  [SERM. 


rejoice  in  that  thought.  Again  I  say,  'He  that  hath 
ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear.' 

'Esteem  others  better  than  ourselves?'  God  forgive 
us !  which  of  us  does  that  ?  Is  not  one's  first  feeling 
not  '  Others  are  better  than  me,'  but  '  I  am  as  good  as 
my  neighbour,  and  perhaps  better  too  ?'  People  say  it, 
and  act  up  to  it  also,  every  day.  If  we  would  but  take 
St.  Paul's  advice,  and  be  humble ;  if  we  would  take  more 
for  granted  that  our  neighbours  have  common  sense  as 
well  as  we,  experience  as  well  as  we,  the  wish  to  do  right 
as  well  as  we — and  perhaps  more  than  we  have ;  and 
therefore  listen  humbly  (that  is  St.  Paul's  word,  bitter 
though  it  may  be  to  our  carnal  pride),  listen  humbly  to 
every  one  who  is  in  earnest,  or  speaks  of  what  he  knows 
and  feels  !  People  are  better  than  we  fancy,  and  have 
more  in  them  than  we  fancy ;  and  if  they  do  not  show 
that  they  have,  it  is  three  times  out  of  four  our  own 
fault.  Instead  of  esteeming  them  better  than  ourselves, 
and  asking  their  advice,  and  calling  out  their  experience, 
we  are  too  in  such  a  hurry  to  show  them  that  we  are 
better  than  they,  and  to  thrust  our  advice  upon  them, 
that  we  give  them  no  encouragement  to  speak,  often  no 
time  to  speak;  and  so  they  are  silent  and  think  the 
more,  and  remain  shut  up  in  themselves,  and  often  pass 
for  stupider  people  and  worse  people  than  they  really 
are.  Because  we  will  not  begin  by  doing  justice  to  our 
neighbours,  we  prevent  them  doing  justice  to  themselves. 

Look  not  every  man  on  his  own  things,  but  every 
man  also  on  the  things  of  others.  Ah,  my  friends,  if 
we  could  but  do  that  heartily  and  always,  what  a  different 


XXXII.]  THE  TEMPER  OF  CHRIST. 


261 


world  it  would  be,  and  what  different  people  we  should 
be  !  If,  instead  of  saying  to  ourselves,  as  one  is  so  apt 
to  do,  'Will  this  suit  my  interest?  will  this  help  me?' 
we  would  recollect  to  say  too,  '  Will  this  suit  my  neigh- 
bours' interest  ?  AVill  this  harm  my  neighbours,  though 
it  may  help  me?  For  if  it  hurts  them,  I  will  have 
nothing  to  do  with  it.' 

If,  again,  instead  of  saying  to  ourselves,  as  we  are  too 
apt  to  do,  '  This  is  what  I  like,  and  done  it  shall  be,'  we 
would  generously  and  courteously  think  more  of  what 
other  people  like ;  what  will  please  them,  instruct  them, 
comfort  them,  soften  for  them  the  cares  of  life,  and 
lighten  the  burden  of  mortality — how  much  happier 
would  not  only  they  be,  but  we  also  ! 

For  this,  my  friends,  is  the  very  likeness  of  Christ, 
who  pleased  not  himself;  the  very  likeness  of  Christ, 
who  sacrificed  himself. 

And  for  this  very  reason  St.  Paul  puts  it  the  last  of 
all  his  advices,  because  it  is  the  greatest ;  the  summing 
up  of  all ;  the  fulfiment  of  the  whole  law,  which  says, 
'Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself;'  and  there- 
fore after  it  he  can  give  no  more  advice,  for  there  is 
none  better  left  to  give :  but  he  goes  on  at  once  to 
speak  of  Christ,  who  fulfilled  that  whole  law  of  love,  and 
more  than  fulfilled  it ;  for  instead  of  merely  loving  his 
neighbours  as  he  loved  himself  (which  is  all  God  asks  of 
us),  Christ  loved  his  enemies  better  than  himself,  and 
died  for  them. 

So  says  St.  Paul. — '  Look  not  every  man  on  his  own 
things,  but  on  other  people's  interest  and  comfort  also. 


2f>2 


THE  TEMPER  OF  CHRIST.  [SERM. 


Let  this  mind  be  in  you,  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus.' 
What  mind?  The  mind  which  looks  not  merely  on  its 
own  things,  its  own  interest,  its  own  reputation,  its  own 
opinions,  likes,  and  dislikes,  but  on  those  of  others,  and 
has  learnt  to  live  and  let  live. 

Yes,  this,  he  says,  is  the  mind  of  Christ.  And  this 
mind,  and  spirit,  and  temper,  he  showed  before  all 
heaven  and  earth,  when,  though  he  was  in  the  form  of 
God,  and  therefore,  (as  some  interpret  the  text)  would 
have  done  no  robbery,  no  injustice,  by  remaining  for 
ever  equal  with  God  (that  is,  in  the  co-equal  and  co- 
eternal  glory  which  he  had  with  the  Father),  yet  made 
himself  of  no  reputation,  and  took  on  him  the  form  of 
a  slave,  and  was  obedient  to  death,  even  the  death  of 
the  cross. 

My  friends,  I  beseech  you,  young  and  old,  rich  and 
poor,  remember  the  full  meaning  of  these  glorious  words, 
and  of  those  which  follow  them. 

'Wherefore  God  hath  highly  exalted  him.'  Why? 
What  was  it  in  Christ  which  was  so  precious,  so  glorious, 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Almighty  Father,  that  no  reward 
seemed  too  great  for  him?  What  but  this  very  spirit 
of  fellow-feeling  and  tenderness,  charity,  self-sacrifice — 
even  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  himself,  with  which  Christ 
was  filled  without  measure  ? 

Because  Christ  utterly  and  perfectly  looked  not  on 
his  own  things,  but  on  the  things  of  others :  because  he 
was  pity  itself,  patience  itself,  love  itself,  in  the  soul  and 
body  of  a  human  being ;  therefore  his  Father  declared  of 
him,  '  This,  this  is  my  well-beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am 


XXXII.]  THE  TEMPER  OF  CHRIST. 


263 


well  pleased.'  Therefore  it  was  that  he  highly  exalted 
him ;  therefore  it  was  that  he  proclaimed  him  to  be 
worthy  of  all  honour  and  worship,  the  most  perfect, 
lovely,  admirable,  and  adorable  of  all  beings  in  heaven 
and  earth ;  not  merely  because  he  showed  himself  to  be 
light  of  light,  or  wisdom  of  wisdom,  or  power  of  power ; 
but  because  he  showed  himself  to  be  love  of  love,  and 
therefore  very  God  of  very  God  begotten,  whom  men 
and  angels  could  not  reverence,  admire,  adore,  imitate 
too  much,  but  were  to  see  in  him  the  perfection  of  all 
beauty,  all  virtue,  all  greatness,  the  likeness  of  his  Father's 
glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  person. 

And  therefore  it  is  a  very  good  and  beautiful  old 
custom  to  bow  when  the  name  of  Jesus  is  mentioned ; 
at  least,  when  it  is  mentioned  for  the  first  time,  or  under 
any  very  solemn  circumstances.  It  helps  to  remind  us 
that  he  is  really  our  King  and  Lord.  It  helps,  too,  to 
remind  us  that  he  is  actually  and  really  near  us,  standing 
by  us,  looking  at  us  face  to  face,  though  we  see  him  not  j 
and  I  am  willing  to  say  for  myself,  that  whenever  I 
recollect  that  he  is  looking  at  me  (alas !  that  is  not  a 
hundredth  part  often  enough),  I  cannot  help  bowing 
almost  without  any  will  of  my  own.  But,  remember, 
there  is  no  commandment  for  it.  It  is  just  one  of  those 
things  on  which  a  Christian  is  free  to  do  what  he  likes, 
and  for  which  every  Christian  is  forbidden  to  judge  or 
blame  another,  according  to  St.  Paul's  rule,  He  that  ob- 
serveth  the  day,  to  the  Lord  he  observeth  it;  and  he 
that  observeth  it  not,  to  the  Lord  he  observeth  it  not. 
Who  art  thou  that  judgest  another?   To  his  own  master 


264 


THE  TEMPER  OF  CHRIST.  [SERM. 


he  standeth  or  falleth.  Yea,  and  he  shall  stand,  for 
God  is  able  to  make  him  stand.  Beside,  the  text  says, 
if  we  are  to  take  it  literally,  as  we  always  ought  with 
Scripture,  not  that  every  head  shall  bow  at  the  name  of 
Jesus,  but  every  knee.  And  to  kneel  down  every  rime 
we  repeat  that  holy  name  would  be  impossible.  While, 
on  the  other  hand,  we  do  bow  our  knees,  literally  and  in 
earnest,  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  time  we  kneel  down 
in  church,  every  time  we  kneel  down  to  say  our  prayers. 
And  if  any  man  is  content  with  that,  no  one  has  the 
least  right  to  blame  him. 

Besides,  my  friends,  there  is,  I  know  too  well,  a  great 
danger  in  making  too  much  of  these  little  outward  cere- 
monies, especially  with  children  and  young  people.  For 
the  heart  of  man  is  just  as  fond  as  it  ever  was  of  idolatry, 
and  superstition,  and  will-worship,  and  voluntary  humility, 
and  paying  tithe  of  mint,  anise,  and  cummin,  while  it 
neglects  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law,  justice,  mercy, 
and  judgment :  and,  therefore,  there  is  very  great  danger, 
if  we  make  too  much  of  these  ceremonies,  harmless  and 
even  good  as  many  of  them  may  be,  of  getting  to  rest 
in  them,  and  thinking  that  God  is  pleased  with  them 
themselves.  Whereas,  what  God  looks  at  is  the  heart, 
the  spirit,  the  soul;  and  whether  it  is  right  or  wrong, 
proud  or  humble,  hard  or  loving :  and  if  we  think  so 
much  of  the  outward  and  visible  form,  that  we  forget  the 
inward  and  spiritual  grace,  for  which  it  ought  to  stand, 
then  we  lay  a  snare  for  our  own  souls  to  turn  them  away 
from  the  worship  of  the  living  God,  and  break  the  second 
commandment.    Much  more,  if  we  pride  ourselves  on 


XXXII.] 


THE  TEMPER  OF  CHRIST. 


265 


being  more  reverent  than  our  neighbours  in  these  outward 
forms,  and  look  down  on,  and  grudge  at,  those  who  do 
not  practise  them;  for  then  we  turn  our  humility  into 
pride,  and  our  reverence  to  Christ  into  an  insult  to  him  ; 
for  the  true  way  to  honour  Christ  is  to  copy  Christ.  No 
one  really  honours  and  admires  Christ's  character  who 
does  not  copy  him ;  and  to  esteem  ourselves  better  than 
others,  to  say  in  our  hearts,  'Stand  by,  for  I  am  holier 
than  thou,'  to  offend  and  drive  away  Christ's  little  ones, 
and  wound  the  consciences  of  weak  brethren  by  insisting 
on  things  against  which  they  have  a  prejudice,  is  to  run 
exactly  counter  to  Christ  and  the  mind  of  Christ,  and  to 
be  more  like  the  Pharisees  than  the  Lord  Jesus.  That 
is  not  surely  esteeming  others  better  than  ourselves : 
that  is  not  surely  looking  not  merely  on  our  own  things, 
but  also  on  the  things  of  others ;  that  is  not  fulfilling  the 
law  of  love ;  that  is  not  following  St.  Paul's  example,  who 
gave  up,  he  says,  doing  many  things  which  he  thought 
right,  because  they  offended  weaker  spirits  than  his  own. 
"  All  things,'  he  says,  '  are  lawful  to  me,  but  all  things  are 
not  expedient'  'Ay,'  says  he,  'I  would  eat  no  meat 
while  the  world  standeth,  if  it  cause  my  brother  to 
offend.' 

No,  my  dear  friends,  let  us  rather,  in  this  coming 
Passion  week,  take  the  lesson  which  the  services  of  the 
Church  give  us  in  this  Epistle.  Let  us  keep  Passion 
week  really  and  in  spirit,  by  remembering  that  it  means 
the  week  of  suffering,  in  which  Christ,  instead  of  pleasing 
himself,  conquered  himself,  and  gave  up  himself,  and  let 
wicked  men  do  with  him  whatsoever  they  would.  Let 


266 


THE  TEMPER  OF  CHRIST.  [SERM. 


us  honour  the  holy  name  of  Jesus  in  spirit  and  in  truth, 
and  bend  not  merely  our  necks  or  our  knees,  when  we 
hear  his  name,  but  bend  those  stiff  necks  of  our  souls, 
and  those  stubborn  knees  of  our  hearts ;  let  us  conquer 
our  self-will,  self-opinion,  self-conceit,  self-interest,  and 
take  his  yoke  upon  us,  for  he  is  meek  and  lowly  of  heart. 
This  is  the  Passion  week  which  he  has  chosen ; — to  dis- 
trust ourselves,  and  our  own  opinions,  likings  and  fancies. 
This  is  the  repentance,  and  this  is  the  humiliation  which 
he  has  chosen ; — to  entreat  him  (now  and  at  once,  lest 
by  pride  we  give  place  to  the  devil,  and  fall  while  we 
think  we  stand)  to  forgive  us  every  hard,  and  proud,  and 
conceited,  and  self-willed  thought,  and  word,  and  deed, 
to  which  we  have  given  way  since  we  were  born;  to 
pray  to  him  for  really  new  hearts,  really  tender  hearts, 
really  humble  hearts,  really  broken  and  contrite  hearts ; 
to  look  at  his  beautiful  tenderness,  patience,  sympathy, 
understanding,  generosity,  self-sacrifice;  and  then  to 
look  at  ourselves,  and  be  shocked,  and  ashamed,  and 
confounded,  at  the  difference  between  ourselves  and 
him ;  and  so  really  to  honour  the  name  of  Jesus,  who 
humbled  himself,  even  to  the  death  upon  the  cross. 

I  am  not  judging  you,  my  friends;  I  am  judging 
myself,  lest  God  judge  me;  and  telling  you  how  to 
judge  yourselves,  lest  God  judge  you.  Believe  me,  if 
you  will  but  take  his  yoke  on  you,  you  will  find  it  an 
easy  yoke  and  a  light  burden ;  you  will  find  yourselves 
happier,  your  duty  simpler,  your  prospects  clearer,  your 
path  through  life  smoother,  your  character  higher  and 
more  amiable  in  the  eyes  of  all,  and  you  yourselves  holy 


XXXII.]  THE  TEMPER  OF  CHRIST. 


2G7 


and  fit  to  share  on  Easter  day  in  the  precious  body  and 
blood  of  him  who  gave  himself  up  to  death  that  he  might 
draw  all  men  to  himself ;  and  so  draw  them  all  to  each 
other,  as  children  of  one  common  Father,  and  brothers 
of  Jesus  Christ  your  Lord. 


SERMON  XXXIII. 


THE  FRIEND   OF  SINNERS. 


( Preached  in  London. ) 


Mark  ii.  15,  16. 


And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  Jesus  sat  at  meat  in  his  house,  many 
publicans  and  sinners  sat  also  together  with  Jesus  and  his  dis- 
ciples :  for  there  were  many,  and  they  followed  him.  And  when 
the  scribes  and  Pharisees  saw  him  eat  with  publicans  and  sinners 
they  said  unto  his  disciples,  How  is  it  that  he  eateth  and  drinketh 
with  publicans  and  sinners  ? 


E  cannot  wonder  at  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  ask- 


ing this  question.  I  think  that  we  should  most 
of  us  ask  the  same  question  now,  if  we  saw  the  Lord 
Jesus,  or  even  if  we  saw  any  very  good  or  venerable 
man,  going  out  of  his  way  to  eat  and  drink  with  pub- 
licans and  sinners.  We  should  be  inclined  to  say,  as 
the  scribes  and  Pharisees  no  doubt  said,  Why  go  out  of 
his  way  to  make  fellowship  with  them  ?  to  eat  and  drink 
with  them  ?  He  might  have  taught  them,  preached  to 
them,  warned  them  of  God's  wrath  against  their  sins 
when  he  could  find  them  out  in  the  street.  Or,  even  if 
he  could  not  do  that,  if  he  could  not  find  them  all 
together  without  going  into  their  house,  why  sit  down 
and  eat  and  drink?  Why  not  say,  No — I  am  not  going 
to  join  with  you  in  that?    I  am  come  on  a  much  more 


XXXIII.]         THE  FRIEND  OF  SINNERS.  269 


solemn  and  important  errand  than  eating.  I  have  no 
time  to  eat.  I  must  preach  to  you,  ere  it  be  too  late. 
And  you  would  have  no  appetite  to  eat,  if  you  knew  the 
terrible  danger  in  which  your  souls  are.  Besides,  how- 
ever anxious  for  your  souls  I  am,  you  cannot  expect  me 
to  treat  you  as  friends,  to  make  companions  of  you,  and 
accept  your  hospitality,  while  you  are  living  these  bad 
lives.  I  shall  always  feel  pity  and  sorrow  for  you :  but 
I  cannot  be  a  table  companion  with  you,  till  you  begin 
to  lead  very  different  lives. 

Now  if  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  had  said  that, 
should  we  have  thought  them  very  unreasonable  ?  For 
whatsoever  kinds  of  sinners  the  sinners  were,  these  pub- 
licans were  the  very  worst  and  lowest  of  company.  They 
were  not  innkeepers,  as  the  word  means  now ;  they  were 
a  kind  of  tax-gatherers :  but  not  like  ours  in  England. 
For  first,  these  taxes  were  not  taken  by  the  Jewish 
government,  but  by  the  Romans — heathen  foreigners 
who  had  conquered  them,  and  kept  them  down  by 
soldiery  quartered  in  their  country.  So  that  these  pub- 
licans, who  gathered  taxes  and  tribute  for  the  heathen 
Cassar  of  Rome  from  their  own  countrymen,  were  traitors 
to  their  country,  in  league  with  their  foreign  tyrants,  as 
it  were  devouring  their  own  flesh  and  blood ;  and  all  the 
Jews  looked  on  them  (and  really  no  wonder)  with  hatred 
and  contempt.  Beside,  these  publicans  did  not  merely 
gather  the  taxes,  as  they  do  in  free  England;  they 
farmed  them,  compounded  for  them  with  the  Roman 
emperor;  that  is,  they  had  each  to  bring  in  to  the 
Romans  a  stated  sum  of  money,  each  out  of  his  own 


270  THE  FRIEND  OF  SINNERS.  [SERM. 


district,  and  to  make  their  own  profit  out  of  the  bargain 
by  grinding  out  of  the  poor  Jews  all  they  could  over  and 
above ;  and  most  probably  calling  in  the  soldiery  to  help 
them  if  people  would  not  pay.  So  this  was  a  trade,  as 
you  may  easily  see,  which  could  only  prosper  by  all 
kinds  of  petty  extortion,  cruelty,  and  meanness ;  and,  no 
doubt,  these  publicans  were  devourers  of  the  poor,  and 
as  unjust  and  hard-hearted  men  as  one  could  be.  As 
for  those  'sinners'  who  are  so  often  mentioned  with 
them,  I  suppose  this  is  what  the  word  means.  These 
publicans  making  their  money  ill,  spent  it  ill  also,  in 
a  low  profligate  way,  with  the  worst  of  women  and  of 
men.  Moreover,  all  the  other  Jews  shunned  them,  and 
would  not  eat  or  keep  company  with  them ;  so  they 
hung  all  together,  and  made  company  for  themselves 
with  bad  people,  who  were  fallen  too  low  to  be  ashamed 
of  them.  The  publicans  and  harlots  are  often  mentioned 
together;  and,  I  doubt  not,  they  were  often  eating  and 
drinking  together,  God  help  them  ! 

And  God  did  help  them.  The  Son  of  God  came  and 
ate  and  drank  with  them.  No  doubt,  he  heard  many 
words  among  them  which  pained  his  ears,  saw  many 
faces  which  shocked  his  eyes ;  faces  of  women  who  had 
lost  all  shame ;  faces  of  men  hardened  by  cruelty,  and 
greediness,  and  cunning,  till  God's  image  had  been 
changed  into  the  likeness  of  the  fox  and  the  serpent ; 
and,  worst  of  all,  the  greatest  pain  to  him  of  all,  he  could 
see  into  their  hearts,  their  immortal  souls,  and  see  all 
the  foulness  within  them,  all  the  meanness,  all  the  hard- 
ness, all  the  unbelief  in  anything  good  or  true.    And  yet 


XXXIII.]  THE  FRIEND  OF  SINNERS.  271 


he  ate  and  drank  with  them.  Make  merry  with  them  he 
could  not :  who  could  be  merry  in  such  company  ?  but 
he  certainly  so  behaved  to  them  that  they  were  glad  to 
have  him  among  them,  though  he  was  so  unlike  them  in 
thought,  and  word,  and  look,  and  action. 

And  why?  Because,  though  he  was  so  unlike  them 
in  many  things,  he  was  like  them  at  least  in  one  thing. 
If  he  could  do  nothing  else  in  common  with  them,  he  could 
at  least  eat  and  drink  as  they  did,  and  eat  and  drink 
with  them  too.  Yes.  He  was  the  Son  of  man,  the  man 
of  all  men,  and  what  he  wanted  to  make  them  understand 
was,  that,  fallen  as  low  as  they  were,  they  were  men  and 
women  still,  who  were  made  at  first  in  God's  likeness, 
and  who  could  be  redeemed  back  into  God's  likeness 
again. 

The  only  way  to  do  that  was  to  begin  with  them  in 
the  very  simplest  way;  to  meet  them  on  common  human 
ground ;  to  make  them  feel  that,  simply  because  they 
were  men  and  women,  he  felt  for  them;  that,  simply 
because  they  were  men  and  women,  he  loved  them; 
that,  simply  because  they  were  men  and  women,  he 
could  not  turn  his  back  upon  them,  for  the  sake  of  his 
Father  and  their  Father  in  heaven.  If  he  had  left  those 
poor  wretches  to  themselves ;  if  he  had  even  merely  kept 
apart  from  their  common  every-day  life,  and  preached  to 
them,  they  would  never  have  felt  that  there  was  still 
hope  for  them,  simply  because  they  were  men  and 
women.  They  would  have  said  in  their  hearts,  'See; 
he  will  talk  to  us  :  but  he  looks  down  on  us  all  the  time. 
We  are  fallen  so  low,  we  cannot  rise ;  we  cannot  mend. 


272 


THE  FRIEND  OF  SINNERS. 


[SERM. 


What  is  there  in  us  that  can  mend?  We  are  nothing 
but  brutes,  perhaps ;  then  brutes  we  must  remain. 
Heaven  is  for  people  like  him,  perhaps;  but  not  for 
such  as  us.  We  are  cut  off  from  men.  We  have  no 
brothers  upon  earth,  no  Father  in  heaven.'  '  Let  us  eat 
and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die.' 

Yes ;  they  would  have  said  this ;  for  people  like  them 
will  say  it  too  often  now,  here  in  Christian  England. 

But  when  our  Lord  came  to  them,  ate  and  drank 
with  them,  talked  with  them  in  a  homely  and  simple 
way  (for  our  Lord's  words  are  always  simple  and  homely, 
grand  and  deep  and  wonderful  as  they  are),  then  do  you 
not  see  how  self-respect  would  begin  to  rise  in  those  poor 
sinners'  hearts?  Not  that  they  would  say,  'We  are 
better  men  than  we  thought  we  were.'  No;  perhaps 
his  kindness  would  make  them  all  the  more  ashamed  of 
themselves,  and  convince  them  of  sin  all  the  more 
deeply;  for  nothing,  nothing  melts  the  sinner's  hard, 
proud  heart,  like  a  few  unexpected  words  of  kindness — 
ay,  even  a  cordial  shake  of  the  hand  from  any  one  who 
he  fancies  looks  down  on  him.  To  find  a  loving  brother, 
where  he  expected  only  a  threatening  schoolmaster — 
that  breaks  the  sinner's  heart ;  and  most  of  all  when  he 
finds  that  brother  in  Jesus  his  Saviour.  That — the  sight 
of  God's  boundless  love  to  sinners,  as  it  is  revealed  in 
the  loving  face  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord — that,  and  that 
alone,  breeds  in  the  sinner  the  broken  and  the  contrite 
heart  which  is  in  the  sight  of  God  of  great  price.  And 
so,  those  publicans  and  sinners  would  not  have  begun  to 
say,  We  are  better  than  we  thought :  but,  We  can  become 


XXXIII.] 


THE  FRIEND  OF  SINNERS. 


273 


better  than  we  thought.  He  must  see  something  in  us 
which  makes  him  care  for  us.  Perhaps  God  may  see 
something  in  us  to  care  for.  He  does  not  turn  his  back 
on  us.  Perhaps  God  may  not.  He  must  have  some 
hope  of  us.  May  we  not  have  hope  of  ourselves? 
Surely  there  is  a  chance  for  us  yet.  Oh  !  if  there  were  ! 
We  are  miserable  now  in  the  midst  of  our  drunkenness, 
and  our  covetousness,  and  our  riotous  pleasures.  We 
are  ashamed  of  ourselves :  and  our  countrymen  are 
ashamed  of  us  :  and  though  we  try  to  brazen  it  off  by 
impudence,  we  carry  heavy  hearts  under  bold  foreheads. 
Oh,  that  we  could  be  different !  Oh,  that  we  could  be 
even  like  what  we  were  when  we  were  little  children ! 
Perhaps  we  may  be  yet.  For  he  treats  us  as  if  we  were 
men  and  women  still,  his  brothers  and  sisters  still.  He 
thinks  that  we  are  not  quite  brute  animals  yet,  it  seems. 
Perhaps  we  are  not;  perhaps  there  is  life  in  us  yet, 
which  may  grow  up  to  a  new  and  better  way  of  living. 
What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ? 

O  blessed  charity,  bond  of  peace  and  of  all  virtues ; 
of  brotherhood  and  fellow-feeling  between  man  and  man, 
as  children  of  one  common  Father.  Ay,  bond  of  all 
virtues — of  generosity  and  of  justice,  of  counsel  and  of 
understanding.  Charity,  unknown  on  earth  before  the 
coming  of  the  Son  of  man,  who  was  content  to  be  called 
gluttonous  and  a  wine-bibber,  because  he  was  the  friend 
of  publicans  and  sinners  ! 

My  friends,  let  us  try  to  follow  his  steps ;  let  us  re- 
member all  day  long  what  it  is  to  be  men;  that  it  is  to 
have  every  one  whom  we  meet  for  our  brother  in  the 

T 


=  74 


THE  FRIEND  OF  SINNERS. 


[SERM. 


sight  of  God ;  that  it  is  this,  never  to  meet  any  one, 
however  bad  he  may  be,  for  whom  we  cannot  say, 
'  Christ  died  for  that  man,  and  Christ  cares  for  him  still. 
He  is  precious  in  God's  eyes ;  he  shall  be  precious  in 
mine  also.'  Let  us  take  the  counsel  of  the  Gospel  for 
this  day,  and  love  one  another,  not  in  word  merely — in 
doctrine,  but  in  deed  and  in  truth,  really  and  actually; 
in  our  every-day  lives  and  behaviour,  words,  looks— in 
all  of  them  let  us  be  cordial,  feeling,  pitiful,  patient, 
courteous.  Masters  with  your  workmen,  teachers  with 
your  pupils,  parents  with  your  children,  be  cordial,  and 
kind,  and  patient ;  respect  every  one,  whether  below  you 
or  not  in  the  world's  eyes.  Never  do  a  thing  to  any 
human  being  which  may  lessen  his  self-respect ;  which 
0  may  make  him  think  that  you  look  down  upon  him,  and 
so  make  him  look  down  upon  himself  in  awkwardness 
and  shyness ;  or  else  may  make  him  start  off  from  you, 
angry  and  proud,  saying.  '  I  am  as  good  as  you ;  and  if 
you  keep  apart  from  me,  I  will  from  you;  if  you  can 
do  without  me,  I  can  do  without  you.  I  want  none  of 
your  condescension.'  It  is  not  so.  You  cannot  do  with- 
out each  other.  We  can  none  of  us  do  without  the 
other;  do  not  let  us  make  any  one  fancy  that  he  can, 
and  tempt  him  to  wrap  himself  up  in  pride  and  surliness, 
cutting  himself  off  from  the  communion  of  saints,  and 
the  blessing  of  being  a  man  among  men. 

And  if  any  of  you  have  a  neighbour,  or  a  relation 
fallen  into  sin,  even  into  utter  shame ; — oh,  for  the  sake 
of  Him  who  ate  and  drank  with  publicans  and  sinners, 
never  cast  them  off,  never  trample  on  them,  never  turn 


XXXIII.] 


THE  FRIEND  OF  SINNERS. 


^75 


your  back  upon  them.  They  are  miserable  enough 
already,  doubt  it  not.  Do  not  add  one  drop  to  their 
cup  of  bitterness.  They  are  ashamed  of  themselves 
already,  doubt  it  not.  Do  not  you  destroy  in  them 
what  small  grain  of  self-respect  still  remains.  You  fancy 
they  are  not  so.  They  seem  to  you  brazen-faced,  proud, 
impenitent.  So  did  the  publicans  and  harlots  seem  to 
those  proud,  blind  Pharisees.  Those  pompous,  self- 
righteous  fools  did  not  know  what  terrible  struggles  were 
going  on  in  those  poor  sin-tormented  hearts.  Their 
pride  had  blinded  them,  while  they  were  saying  all  along, 
'  It  is  we  alone  who  see.  This  people,  which  knoweth 
not  the  law,  is  accursed.'  Then  came  the  Lord  Jesus, 
the  Son  of  man,  who  knew  what  was  in  man ;  and  he 
spoke  tc  them  gently,  cordially,  humanly;  and  they  heard 
him,  and  justified  God,  and  were  baptized,  confessing 
their  sins ;  and  so,  as  he  said  himself,  the  publicans  and 
harlots  went  into  the  kingdom  of  God  before  those 
proud,  self-conceited  Pharisees. 

Therefore,  I  say,  never  hurt  any  one's  self-respect. 
Never  trample  on  any  soul,  though  it  may  be  lying  in 
the  veriest  mire ;  for  that  last  spark  of  self-respect  is 
as  its  only  hope,  its  only  chance ;  the  last  seed  of  a  new 
and  better  life ;  the  voice  of  God  which  still  whispers  to 
it,  '  You  are  not  what  you  ought  to  be,  and  you  are  not 
what  you  can  be.  You  are  still  God's  child,  still  an 
immortal  soul :  you  may  rise  yet,  and  fight  a  good  fight 
yet,  and  conquer  yet,  and  be  a  man  once  more,  after  the 
likeness  of  God  who  made  you,  and  Christ  who  died  for 
you  !'    Oh,  why  crush  that  voice  in  any  heart  ?    If  you 


276  THE  FRIEND  OF  SINNERS.  [SERM. 


do,  the  poor  creature  is  lost,  and  lies  where  he  or  she 
falls,  and  never  tries  to  rise  again.  Rather  bear  and 
forbear;  hope  all  things,  believe  all  things,  endure  all 
things ;  so  you  will,  as  St.  John  tells  you  in  the  Epistle, 
know  that  you  are  of  the  truth,  in  the  true  and  right 
road,  and  will  assure  your  hearts  before  God.  For  this 
is  his  commandment,  that  we  should  believe  in  the  name 
of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  believe  really  that  he  is  now 
what  he  always  was,  the  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners, 
and  love  one  another  as  he  gave  us  commandment. 
That  was  Christ's  spirit;  the  fairest,  the  noblest  spirit 
upon  earth ;  the  spirit  of  God  whose  mercy  is  over  all 
his  works ;  and  hereby  shall  we  know  that  Christ  abideth 
in  us,  by  his  having  given  us  the  same  spirit  of  pity, 
charity,  fellow-feeling  and  love  for  every  human  being 
round  us. 

And  now,  I  will  also  give  you  one  lesson  to  carry 
home  with  you — a  lesson  which  if  we  all  could  really 
believe  and  obey,  the  world  would  begin  to  mend  from 
to-morrow,  and  every  other  good  work  on  earth  would 
prosper  and  multiply  tenfold,  a  hundredfold — ay,  beyond 
all  our  fairest  dreams.  And  my  lesson  is  this.  When 
you  go  out  from  this  church  into  those  crowded  streets, 
remember  that  there  is  not  a  soul  in  them  who  is  not  as 
precious  in  God's  eyes  as  you  are ;  not  a  little  dirty- 
ragged  child  whom  Jesus,  were  he  again  on  earth,  would 
not  take  up  in  his  arms  and  bless ;  not  a  publican  or  a 
harlot  with  whom,  if  they  but  asked  him,  he  would  not 
eat  and  drink — now,  here,  in  London  on  this  Sunday, 
the  8th  of  June,  1856,  as  certainly  as  he  did  in  Jewry 


XXXIII.] 


THE  FRIEND  OF  SINNERS. 


277 


beyond  the  seas,  eighteen  hundred  years  ago.  Therefore 
do  to  all  who  are  in  want  of  your  help  as  Jesus  would 
do  to  them  if  he  were  here;  as  Jesus  is  doing  to  them 
already :  for  he  is  here  among  us  now,  and  for  ever 
seeking  and  saving  that  which  was  lost ;  and  all  we  have 
to  do  is  to  believe  that,  and  work  on,  sure  that  he  is 
working  at  our  head,  and  that  though  we  cannot  see 
him,  he  sees  us ;  and  then  all  will  prosper  at  last,  for 
this  brave  old  earth  whereon  we  are  living  now,  and  for 
that  far  braver  new  heaven  and  new  earth  whereon  we 
shall  live  hereafter. 


SERMON  XXXIV. 


THE   SEA  OF  GLASS. 


( Trinity  Sunday.) 


Revelation  iv.  9,  10,  1 1. 

And  when  those  beasts  give  glory,  and  honour,  and  thanks  to  him 
that  sat  on  the  throne,  who  liveth  for  ever  and  ever,  the  four  and 
twenty  elders  fall  down  before  him  that  sat  on  the  throne,  and 
worship  him  that  liveth  for  ever  and  ever,  and  cast  their  crowns 
before  the  throne,  saying,  Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive 
glory,  and  honour,  and  power :  for  thou  hast  created  all  things, 
and  for  thy  pleasure  they  are  and  were  created. 


'HE  Church  bids  us  read  this  morning  the  first  chapter 


of  Genesis,  which  tells  us  of  the  creation  of  the 
world.  Not  merely  on  account  of  that  most  important 
text,  which,  according  to  some  divines,  seems  to  speak 
of  the  ever-blessed  Trinity,  and  brings  in  God  as  saying, 
1  Let  us  make  man  in  our  image  f  not,  Let  me  make 
man  in  my  image;  but,  Let  us,  in  our  image. — Not 
merely  for  this  reason  is  Gen.  i.  a  fit  lesson  for  Trinity 
Sunday  :  but  because  it  tells  us  of  the  whole  world,  and 
all  that  is  therein,  and  who  made  it,  and  how.  It  does 
not  tell  us  why  God  made  the  world ;  but  the  Revelations 
do,  and  the  text  does.  And  therefore  perhaps  it  is  a 
good  thing  for  us  that  Trinity  Sunday  comes  always  in 
the  sweet  spring  time,  when  all  nature  is  breaking  out 
into  new  life,  when  leaves  are  budding,  flowers  blossom- 


THE  SEA  OF  GLASS. 


279 


ing,  birds  building,  and  countless  insects  springing  up  to 
their  short  and  happy  life.  This  wonderful  world  in 
which  we  live  has  awakened  again  from  its  winter's 
sleep.  How  are  we  to  think  of  it,  and  of  all  the  strange 
and  beautiful  things  in  it  ?  Trinity  Sunday  tells  us ;  for 
Trinity  Sunday  bids  us  think  of  and  believe  a  matter 
which  we  cannot  understand— a  glorious  and  unspeak- 
able God,  who  is  at  the  same  time  One  and  Three. 
We  cannot  understand  that.  No  more  can  we  under- 
stand anything  else.  We  cannot  understand  how  the 
grass  grows  beneath  our  feet.  We  cannot  understand 
how  the  egg  becomes  a  bird.  We  cannot  understand 
how  the  butterfly  is  the  very  same  creature  which  last 
autumn  was  a  crawling  caterpillar.  We  cannot  under- 
stand how  an  atom  of  our  food  is  changed  within  our 
bodies  into  a  drop  of  living  blood.  We  cannot  under- 
stand how  this  mortal  life  of  ours  depends  on  that  same 
blood.  We  do  not  know  even  what  life  is.  We  do  not 
know  what  our  own  souls  are.  We  do  not  know  what 
our  own  bodies  are.  We  know  nothing.  We  know  no 
more  about  ourselves  and  this  wonderful  world  than  we 
do  ot  the  mystery  of  the  ever-blessed  Trinity.  That,  of 
course,  is  the  greatest  wonder  of  all.  For,  as  I  shall  try 
to  show  you  presently,  God  himself  must  be  more 
wonderful  than  all  things  which  he  has  made.  But  all 
that  he  has  made  is  wonderful ;  and  all  that  we  can  say 
of  it  is,  to  take  up  the  heavenly  hymn  which  this  chapter 
in  the  Revelations  puts  into  our  mouths,  and  join  with 
the  elders  of  heaven,  and  all  the  powers  of  nature,  in 
saying,  '  Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive  glory,  and 


28o 


THE  SEA  OF  GLASS. 


[SERM. 


honour,  and  power ;  for  thou  hast  created  all  things,  and 
for  thy  pleasure  they  are  and  were  created.' 

Let  us  do  this.  Let  us  open  our  eyes,  and  see 
honestly  what  a  wonderful  world  we  live  in ;  and  go 
about  all  our  days  in  wonder  and  humbleness  of  heart, 
confessing  that  we  know  nothing,  and  that  we  cannot 
know ;  confessing  that  we  are  fearfully  and  wonderfully 
made,  and  that  our  soul  knows  right  well;  but  that 
beyond  we  know  nothing ;  though  God  knows  all ;  for 
in  his  book  were  all  our  members  written,  which  day  by 
day  were  fashioned,  while  as  yet  there  were  none  of 
them.  '  How  great  are  thy  counsels,  O  God !  they  are 
more  than  I  am  able  to  express,'  said  David  of  old,  who 
knew  not  a  tenth  part  of  the  natural  wonders  which  we 
know  j  '  more  in  number  than  the  hairs  of  my  head,  if 
I  were  to  speak  of  them.' 

This  will  keep  us  from  that  proud  and  yet  shallow 
temper  of  mind  which  people  are  apt  to  fall  into, 
especially  young  men  who  are  clever  and  self-educated, 
and  those  who  live  in  great  towns,  and  so  lose  the  sight 
of  the  wonderful  works  of  God  in  the  fields  and  woods, 
and  see  hardly  anything  but  what  man  has  made ;  and 
therefore  forget  how  weak  and  ignorant  even  the  wisest 
man  is,  and  how  little  he  understands  of  this  great  and 
glorious  world. 

Such  people  are  apt  to  fancy  men  are  clever  enough 
to  understand  anything.  Then  they  say,  '  Why  am  I  to 
believe  anything  I  cannot  understand  ?'  And  then  they 
laugh  at  the  mysteries  of  faith,  and  say,  '  Three  Persons 
in  one  God !  I  cannot  understand  that !  Why  am  I 
expected  to  believe  it  ?' 


XXXIV.]  THE  SEA  OF  GLASS.  281 


Now,  here  is  the  plain  answer  to  such  unwise  speech 
(for  unwise  it  is,  let  it  be  dressed  up  in  all  fine  long 
words,  and  show  of  wisdom),  whether  the  doctrine  be 
true  or  not,  your  not  understanding  the  matter  is  no 
reason  against  it.  Here  is  the  answer  :  '  You  do  believe 
all  day  long  a  hundred  things  which  you  do  not  under- 
stand ;  which  quite  surpass  your  reason.  You  believe 
that  you  are  alive  :  but  you  do  not  understand  how  you 
live.  You  believe  that,  though  you  are  made  up  of  so 
many  different  faculties  and  powers,  you  are  one  person  : 
but  you  cannot  understand  how.  You  believe  that 
though  your  body  and  your  mind  too  have  gone  through 
so  many  changes  shce  you  were  born,  yet  you  are  still 
one  and  the  same  person,  and  nobody  else  but  yourself; 
but  you  cannot  understand  that  either.  You  know  it 
is  so;  but  how  and  why  it  is  so,  you  cannot  explain; 
and  the  greatest  philosopher  would  not  be  foolish  enough 
to  try  to  explain ;  because,  if  he  is  a  really  great  scholar, 
he  knows  that  it  cannot  be  explained.  You  lift  your 
hand  to  your  head :  but  how  you  do  it,  neither  you  nor 
any  mortal  man  knows ;  and  true  philosophers  tell  you 
that  we  shall  probably  never  know.  True  philosophers 
tell  you  that  in  the  simplest  movement  of  your  body,  in 
the  growth  of  the  meanest  blade  of  grass,  let  them  ex- 
amine it  with  the  microscope,  let  them  think  over  it  till 
their  brains  are  weary,  there  is  always  some  mystery, 
some  wonder  over  and  above,  which  neither  their  glasses 
nor  their  brains  can  explain,  or  even  find  and  see,  much 
less  give  a  name  to.  They  know  that  there  is  more  in 
the  matter,  in  the  simplest  matter,  than  man  can  find 


28a 


THE  SEA  OE  GLASS. 


[SERM. 


out;  and  they  are  content  to  leave  the  wonder  in  the 
hands  of  God  who  made  it ;  and  when  they  have  found 
out  all  they  can,  confess,  that  the  more  they  know,  the 
less  they  find  they  know. 

I  tell  you  frankly,  my  friends,  if  you  were  to  see 
through  the  miscroscope  a  few  of  the  wonderful  things 
which  are  going  on  round  you  now  in  every  leaf,  and 
every  gnat  which  dances  in  the  sunbeam ;  if  you  were 
to  learn  even  the  very  little  which  is  known  about  them, 
you  would  see  wonders  which  would  surpass  your  powers 
of  reasoning,  just  as  much  as  that  far  greater  wonder  of 
the  ever-blessed  Trinity;  things  which  you  would  not 
believe,  if  your  own  eyes  did  not  show  them  you. 

And  what  if  it  be  strange  ?  What  is  there  to  surprise 
us  in  that?  If  the  world  be  so  wonderful,  how  much 
more  wonderful  must  that  great  God  be  who  made  the 
world,  and  keeps  it  always  living  ?  If  the  smallest  blade 
of  grass  be  past  our  understanding,  how  much  more  past 
our  understanding  must  be  the  Absolute,  Eternal,  Al- 
mighty God?  Do  you  not  see  that  common  sense  and 
reason  lead  us  to  expect  that  God  should  be  the  most 
wonderful  of  all  beings  and  things ;  that  there  must  be 
some  mystery  and  wonder  in  him  which  is  greater  than 
all  mysteries  and  wonders  upon  earth,  just  as  much  as 
he  is  greater  than  all  heaven  and  earth  ?  Which  must  be 
most  wonderful,  the  maker  or  the  thing  made?  Thou 
art  man,  made  in  the  likeness  of  God.  Thou  canst  not 
understand  thyself.  How  much  less  canst  thou  under- 
God,  in  whose  likeness  thou  art  made  ! 

For  iny  part,  instead  of  keeping  people  from  learning, 


XXXIV.] 


THE  SEA  OF  GLASS. 


283 


lest  they  should  grow  proud,  and  despise  the  mysteries 
of  faith,  I  would  make  them  learn,  and  entreat  them  to 
learn,  and  look  seriously  and  patiently  at  all  the  wonder- 
ful things  which  are  going  on  round  them  all  day  long ; 
for  I  am  sure  that  they  would  be  so  much  astonished 
with  what  they  saw  on  earth,  that  they  would  not  be 
astonished,  much  less  staggered,  at  anything  they  heard 
of  in  heaven ;  and  least  of  all  astonished  at  being  told 
that  the  name  of  Almighty  God  was  too  deep  for  the 
little  brain  of  mortal  man ;  and  that  they  would  learn 
more  and  more  to  take  humbly,  like  little  children,  every 
hint  which  the  experience  of  wise  and  good  men  of  old 
time  gives  us  of  the  everlasting  mystery  of  mysteries,  the 
glory  of  the  Triune  God,  which  St.  John  saw  in  the  spirit. 

And  what  did  St.  John  see  ?  Something  beyond  even 
an  apostle's  understanding.  Something  which  he  could 
only  see  himself  dimly,  and  describe  to  us  in  figures  and 
pictures,  as  it  were,  to  help  us  to  imagine  that  great 
wonder. 

He  was  in  the  spirit,  he  says,  when  he  saw  it.  That 
is,  he  did  not  see  it  with  his  bodily  eyes,  but  with  his 
soul,  his  heart  and  mind.  Not  with  his  bodily  eyes  (for 
no  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time),  but  with  his  mind's 
eye,  which  God  had  enlightened  by  his  Holy  Spirit. 

He  sees  a  throne  in  heaven,  and  one  sitting  on  it, 
bright  and  pure  as  richest  precious  stone;  and  round 
his  throne  a  rainbow  like  an  emerald,  the  sign  to  us  of 
hope,  and  faithfulness,  mercy  and  truth,  which  he  himself 
appointed  after  the  flood,  to  comfort  the  fearful  hearts  of 
men.    Around  him  are  elders  crowned;  men  like  our- 


284  THE  SEA  OF  GLASS.  [SERM. 


selves,  but  men  who  have  fought  the  good  fight,  and 
conquered,  and  are  now  at  rest;  pure,  as  their  white 
garments  tell  us ;  and  victorious,  as  their  golden  crowns 
tell  us.  And  from  the  throne  come  thunderings,  and 
lightnings,  and  voices,  as  they  did  when  he  spoke  to  the 
Jews  of  old — signs  of  his  terrible  power,  as  judge,  and 
lawgiver,  and  avenger  of  all  the  wrong  which  is  done  on 
earth.  And  there  are  there,  too,  seven  burning  lamps, 
the  seven  spirits  of  God,  which  give  light  and  life  to  all 
created  things,  and  most  of  all  to  righteous  hearts.  And 
before  the  throne  is  a  sea  of  glass ;  the  same  sea  which 
St.  John  saw  in  another  vision,  with  us  human  beings 
standing  on  it,  and  behold  it  was  mingled  with  fire ; — the 
sea  of  time,  and  space,  and  mortal  life,  on  which  we  all 
have  our  little  day;  the  brittle  and  dangerous  sea  of 
earthly  life ;  for  it  may  crack  any  moment  beneath  our 
feet,  and  drop  us  into  eternity,  and  the  nether  fire,  unless 
we  have  his  hand  holding  us,  who  conquered  time,  and 
life,  and  death,  and  hell  itself. 

It  seems  to  us  to  be  a  great  thing  now,  time,  and 
space,  and  the  world;  and  yet  it  looked  small  enough 
to  St.  John,  as  it  lies  in  heaven,  before  the  throne  of 
Christ;  and  he  passes  it  by  in  a  few  words.  For  what 
are  all  suns  and  stars,  and  what  are  all  ages  and  genera- 
tions, and  millions  and  millions  of  years,  compared  with 
eternity;  with  God's  eternal  heaven,  and  God  whom  not 
even  heaven  can  contain? — One  drop  of  water  in  com- 
parison with  all  the  rain  clouds  of  the  western  sea. 

But  there  is  one  comfort  for  us  in  St.  John's  vision ; 
that  brittle,  and  uncertain,  and  dangerous  as  life  may 


XXXIV.] 


THE  SEA  OF  CLASS. 


285 


be,  yet  it  is  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  before  the 
feet  of  Christ.  St.  John  saw  it  lying  there  in  heaven, 
for  a  sign  that  in  God  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our 
being.  Let  us  be  content,  and  hope  on,  and  trust  on ; 
for  God  is  with  us,  and  we  with  God. 

But  St.  John  saw  another  wonder.  Four  beasts — one 
like  a  man,  one  like  a  calf,  one  like  an  eagle,  one  like 
a  lion,  with  six  wings  each. 

What  those  living  creatures  mean,  I  can  hardly  tell 
you.  Some  wise  and  learned  men  say  they  mean  the 
four  Evangelists :  but,  though  there  is  much  to  be  said 
for  it,  I  hardly  think  that ;  for  St.  John,  who  saw  them, 
was  one  of  the  four  Evangelists  himself.  Others  think 
they  mean  great  and  glorious  archangels ;  and  that  may 
be  so.  But  certainly  the  Bible  always  speaks  of  angels 
as  shaped  like  men,  like  human  beings,  only  more  beau- 
tiful and  glorious.  The  two  angels,  for  instance,  who 
appeared  to  the  three  men  at  our  Lord's  tomb,  are 
plainly  called  in  one  place,  young  men.  I  think,  rather, 
that  these  four  living  creatures  mean  the  powers  and 
talents  which  God  has  given  to  men,  that  they  may  re- 
plenish the  earth,  and  subdue  it.  For  we  read  of  these 
same  living  creatures  in  the  book  of  the  prophet  Ezekiel ; 
and  we  see  them  also  on  those  ancient  Assyrian  sculp- 
tures which  are  now  in  the  British  Museum ;  and  we 
have  good  reason  to  think  that  is  what  they  mean  there. 
The  creature  with  tbe  man's  head  means  reason ;  the 
beast  with  the  lion's  head,  kingly  power  and  govern- 
ment; with  the  eagle's  head,  and  his  piercing  eye, 
prudence  and  foresight ;  with  the  ox's  head,  labour,  and 


286  THE  SEA  OF  GLASS.  [SERM. 


cultivation  of  the  earth,  and  successful  industry.  But 
whatsoever  those  living  creatures  mean,  it  is  more  im- 
portant to  see  what  they  do.  They  give  glory,  and 
honour,  and  thanks  to  him  who  sits  upon  the  throne. 
They  confess  that  all  power,  all  wisdom,  all  prudence, 
all  success  in  men  or  angels,  in  earth  or  heaven,  comes 
from  God,  and  is  God's  gift,  of  which  he  will  require  a 
strict  account ;  for  he  is  Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God 
Almighty;  and  all  things  are  of  him,  and  by  him,  and 
for  him,  for  ever  and  ever. 

But  who  is  he  who  sits  upon  the  throne?  Who 
but  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ?  Who  but  the  Babe  of 
Bethlehem?  Who  but  the  Friend  of  publicans  and 
sinners?  Who  but  he  who  went  about  doing  good  to 
suffering  mortal  man?  Who  but  he  who  died  on  the 
cross?  Who  but  he  on  whose  bosom  St.  John  leaned 
at  supper,  and  now  saw  him  highly  exalted,  having  a 
name  above  every  name? 

Oh,  blest  St.  John,  to  see  that  sight !  To  see  his 
dear  Master  in  his  glory,  after  having  seen  him  in  his 
humiliation !  God  grant  us  so  to  follow  in  St.  John's 
steps,  that  we  may  see  the  same  sight,  unworthy  though 
we  are,  in  God's  good  time. 

And  where  is  God  the  Father?  Yes,  where?  The 
heaven,  and  the  heaven  of  heavens,  cannot  contain  him, 
whom  no  man  hath  seen,  or  can  see ;  who  dwells  in  the 
light,  whom  no  man  can  approach  unto.  Only  the  only 
begotten  Son,  who  dwells  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father, 
he  hath  declared  him,  and  shown  to  men  in  his  own 
perfect  loveliness  and  goodness,  what  their  heavenly 


XXXIV.] 


THE  SEA  OF  GLASS. 


287 


Father  is.  That  was  enough  for  St.  John ;  let  it  be 
enough  for  us.  He  who  has  seen  Christ  has  seen  the 
Father,  as  far  as  any  created  being  can  see  him.  The 
Son  Christ  is  merciful :  therefore  the  Father  is  merciful. 
The  Son  is  just :  therefore  the  Father  is  just.  The  Son 
is  faithful  and  true :  therefore  the  Father  is  faithful  and 
true.  The  Son  is  almighty  to  save  :  therefore  the  Father 
is  almighty  to  save.  Let  that  be  enough  for  you  and 
me. 

But  where  is  the  Holy  Spirit?  There  is  no  where  for 
spirits.  All  that  we  can  say  is,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
proceeding  for  ever  from  the  Father  and  the  Son ;  going 
forth  for  ever,  to  bring  light  and  life,  righteousness  and 
love,  to  all  worlds,  and  to  all  hearts  who  will  receive 
him.  The  lamps  of  fire  which  St.  John  saw.  the  dove 
which  came  down  at  Christ's  baptism,  the  cloven  tongues 
of  fire  which  sat  on  the  Apostles — these  were  signs  and 
tokens  of  the  Spirit  j  but  they  were  not  the  Spirit  itself. 
Of  him  it  is  written,  '  He  bloweth  where  he  listeth,  and 
thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence 
he  cometh  or  whither  he  goeth.' 

It  is  enough  for  us  that  he  is  the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
Spirit  of  the  Holy  Father,  and  of  the  Holy  Son ;  like 
them  eternal,  like  them  incomprehensible,  like  them  al- 
mighty, like  them  all-wise,  all-just,  all-loving,  merciful, 
faithful,  and  true  for  ever. 

This  is  what  St.  John  saw — Christ  the  crucified,  Christ 
the  Babe  of  Bethlehem,  in  the  glory  which  he  had  before 
all  worlds,  and  shall  have  for  ever;  with  all  the  powers 
of  this  wondrous  world  crying  to  him  for  ever,  '  Holy, 


2  88  THE  SEA  OF  GLASS.  [sERM. 


Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  was,  and  is,  and 
is  to  come;  and  the  souls  of  just  men  made  perfect 
answering  those  mystic  animals,  and  joining  their  hymns 
of  praise  to  the  hymn  which  goes  up  for  ever  from  sun 
and  stars,  from  earth  and  sea, — when  they  find  out  the 
deepest  of  all  wisdom — the  lesson  which  all  the  wonders 
of  this  earth,  and  all  which  ever  has  happened,  or  will 
happen,  in  space  and  time,  is  meant  to  teach  us : — 

'  Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive  glory,  and 
honour,  and  power;  for  Thou  hast  created  all  things, 
and  for  Thy  pleasure  they  are  and  were  created.' 

This  is  all  that  I  can  tell  you.  It  may  be  a  very 
little :  but  is  it  not  enough  ?  What  says  Solomon  the 
wise?  'Knowest  thou  how  the  bones  grow  in  the 
womb?'  Not  thou.  How,  then,  wilt  thou  know  God, 
who  made  all  things  ?  Thou  art  fearfully  and  wonder- 
fully made,  though  thou  art  but  a  poor  mortal  man. 
And  is  not  God  more  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made 
than  thou  art?  It  is  a  strange  thing,  and  a  mystery, 
how  we  ever  got  into  this  world :  a  stranger  thing  still 
to  me,  how  we  shall  ever  get  out  of  this  world  again. 
Yet  they  are  common  things  enough — birth  and  death. 
'  Every  moment  dies  a  man,  every  moment  one  is  born  :' 
and  yet  you  do  not  know  what  is  the  meaning  of  birth 
or  death  either  :  and  I  do  not  know ;  and  no  man  knows. 
How,  then,  can  we  know  the  mystery  of  God,  in  whose 
hand  are  the  issues  of  life  and  death  ? — God  to  whom  all 
live  for  ever,  living  and  dead,  born  and  unborn,  in  heaven 
and  in  hell  ? 

So  it  is  in  small  things  as  well  as  great,  in  great  as 


XXXIV.] 


THE  SEA  OF  GLASS. 


289 


well  as  small ;  and  so  it  ever  will  be.  '  All  things  begin 
in  some  wonder,  and  in  some  wonder  all  things  end,' 
said  Saint  Augustine,  wisest  in  his  day  of  all  mortal  men ; 
and  all  that  great  scholars  have  discovered  since  prove 
more  and  more  that  Saint  Augustine's  words  were  true, 
and  that  the  wisest  are  only,  as  a  great  philosopher  once 
said,  and  one,  too,  who  discovered  more  of  God's  works 
than  any  man  for  many  a  hundred  years,  even  Sir  Isaac 
Newton  himself:  'The  wisest  of  us  is  but  like  a  child 
picking  up  a  few  shells  and  pebbles  on  the  shore  of  a 
boundless  sea.' 

The  shells  and  pebbles  are  the  little  scraps  of  know- 
ledge which  God  vouchsafes  to  us,  his  sinful  children; 
knowledge,  of  which  at  best  St.  Paul  says,  that  we  know 
only  in  part,  and  prophesy  in  part,  and  think  as  children ; 
and  that  knowledge  shall  vanish  away,  and  tongues  shall 
cease,  and  prophecies  shall  fail. 

And  the  boundless  sea  is  the  great  ocean  of  time — of 
God's  created  universe,  above  which  his  Spirit  broods 
over,  perfect  in  love,  and  wisdom,  and  almighty  power, 
as  at  the  beginning,  moving  above  the  face  of  the  waters 
of  time,  giving  life  to  all  things,  for  ever  blessing,  and 
for  ever  blest. 

God  grant  us  all  to  see  the  day  when  we  shall  have 
passed  safely  across  that  sea  of  time,  up  to  the  sure  land 
of  eternity;  and  shall  no  more  think  as  children,  or 
know  in  part ;  but  shall  see  God  face  to  face,  and  know 
him  even  as  we  are  known ;  and  find  him,  the  nearer  we 
draw  to  him,  more  wonderful,  and  more  glorious,  and 
more  good  than  ever ; — '  Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God 

u 


290  THE  SEA  OF  GLASS. 


Almighty,  which  was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come.'  And 
meanwhile,  take  comfort,  and  recollect  however  little 
you  and  I  may  know,  God  knows :  he  knows  himself, 
and  you,  and  me,  and  all  things ;  and  his  mercy  is  over 
all  his  works. 


SERMON  XXXV. 


A  GOD  IN  PAIN. 


( Good  Friday.) 


Hebrews  ii.  9,  10. 


But  we  see  Jesus,  who  was  made  a  little  lower  than  the  angels  for 
the  suffering  of  death,  crowned  with  glory  and  honour ;  that  he 
by  the  grace  of  God  should  taste  death  for  every  man.  For  it 
became  him,  for  whom  are  all  things,  and  by  whom  are  all  things, 
in  bringing  many  sons  unto  glory,  to  make  the  Captain  of  their 
salvation  perfect  through  sufferings. 


'HAT  are  we  met  together  to  think  of  this  day? 


God  in  pain :  God  sorrowing ;  God  dying  for 
man,  as  far  as  God  could  die.  Now  it  is  this; — the 
blessed  news  that  God  suffered  pain,  God  sorrowed, 
God  died,  as  far  as  God  could  die — which  makes  the 
Gospel  different  from  all  other  religions  in  the  world ; 
and  it  is  this,  too,  which  makes  the  Gospel  so  strong 
to  conquer  men's  hearts,  and  soften  them,  and  bring 
them  back  to  God  and  righteousness  in  a  way  no  other 
religion  ever  has  done.  It  is  the  good  news  of  this 
good  day,  well  called  Good  Friday,  which  wins  souls  to 
Christ,  and  will  win  them  as  long  as  men  are  men. 

The  heathen,  you  will  find,  always  thought  of  their 
gods  as  happy.  The  gods,  they  thought,  always  abide 
in  bliss,  far  above  all  the  chances  and  changes  of  mortal 
life;  always  young,  strong,  beautiful,  needing  no  help, 


29  2 


A  GOD  IN  PAIN. 


[SERM. 


needing  no  pit}-;  and  thereiore,  my  friends,  never  calling 
out  our  love.  The  heathens  never  loved  their  gods  : 
they  admired  them,  thanked  them  when  they  thought 
they  helped  them ;  or  they  were  afraid  of  them  when 
they  thought  they  were  offended. 

But  as  far  as  I  can  find,  they  never  really  loved  their 
gods.  Love  to  God  was  a  new  feeling,  which  first  came 
into  the  world  with  the  good  news  that  God  had  suffered 
and  that  God  had  died  upon  the  cross.  That  was  a  God 
to  be  loved,  indeed ;  and  all  good  hearts  loved  him,  and 
will  love  him  still. 

For  you  cannot  really  love  any  one  who  is  quite 
different  from  you ;  who  has  never  been  through  what 
you  have.  You  do  not  think  that  he  can  understand 
you;  you  expect  him  to  despise  you,  laugh  at  you. 
You  say,  as  I  have  heard  a  poor  woman  say  of  a  rich 
one,  '  How  can  she  feel  for  me  ?  She  does  not  know 
what  poor  people  go  through.' 

Now  it  is  just  that  feeling  which  mankind  had  about 
God  till  Christ  died. 

God,  or  the  gods,  were  beautiful,  strong,  happy,  self- 
sufficient,  up  in  the  skies ;  and  men  on  earth  were  full  of 
sorrow  and  trouble,  disease,  accidents,  death;  and  sin, 
too ;  quarrelling  and  killing,  hateful  and  hating  each 
other.  How  could  the  gods  love  men  ?  And  then  men 
had  a  sense  of  sin;  they  felt  they  were  doing  wrong. 
Surely  the  gods  hated  them  for  doing  wrong.  Surely 
all  the  sorrows  and  troubles  which  came  on  them  were 
punishments  for  doing  wrong.  How  miserable  they 
were  !    But  the  gods  sat  happy  up  in  heaven,  and  cared 


XXXV.] 


A  GOD  IN  PAIN. 


293 


not  for  them.  Or,  if  the  gods  did  care,  they  cared  only 
for  special  favourites.  If  any  man  was  very  good,  or 
strong,  or  handsome,  or  clever,  or  rich,  or  prosperous, 
the  gods  cared  for  him — he  was  a  favourite.  But  what 
did  they  care  for  poor,  ugly,  deformed,  unfortunate, 
foolish  wretches?  Surely  the  gods  despised  them,  and 
had  sent  them  into  the  world  to  be  miserable.  There 
was  no  sympathy,  no  fellow-feeling  between  gods  and 
men.  The  gods  did  not  love  men  as  men.  Why  should 
men  love  them  ?    And  so  men  did  not  love  them. 

And  as  there  was  no  love  to  God  before  Good  Friday, 
so  there  was  no  love  to  men. 

If  God  despised  the  poor,  the  deformed,  the  helpless, 
the  ignorant,  the  crazy,  why  should  not  man?  If  God 
was  hard  on  them,  why  should  not  man  oppress  and 
ill-use  them?  And  so  you  will  find  that  there  was  no 
charity  in  the  world. 

Among  some  of  the  Eastern  nations — the  Hindoos, 
for  instance — when  they  were  much  better  men  than 
now,  charity  did  spring  up  for  a  while  here  and  there, 
in  a  very  beautiful  shape;  but  among  Greeks  and 
Romans  there  was  simply  no  charity;  and  you  will  find 
little  or  none  among  the  Jews  themselves. 

The  Pharisees  gave  alms  to  save  their  own  souls,  and 
feed  their  own  pride  of  being  good  ;  but  had  no  charity 
— '  This  people,  who  knoweth  not  the  law,  is  accursed.' 
As  for  poor,  diseased  people,  they  were  born  in  sin  : 
either  they  or  their  parents  had  sinned.  We  may  see 
that  the  poor  of  Judea,  as  well  as  Galilee,  were  in  a 
miserable,  neglected,  despised  state ;  and  the  worst  thing 


294 


A  GOD  IN  PAIN. 


[SERM. 


that  the  Pharisees  could  say  of  our  Lord  Jesus  was,  that 
he  ate  and  drank  with  publicans  and  sinners.  Because 
there  was  no  love  to  God,  there  was  no  love  to  man. 
There  was  a  great  gulf  fixed  between  every  man  and  his 
neighbour. 

But  Christ  came;  God  came;  and  became  man. 
And  with  the  blood  of  his  cross  was  bridged  over  for 
ever  the  gulf  between  God  and  man,  and  the  gulf 
between  man  and  man. 

Good  Friday  showed  that  there  was  sympathy,  there 
was  fellow-feeling  between  God  and  man;  that  God 
would  do  all  for  man,  endure  all  for  man;  that  God 
so  desired  to  make  man  like  God,  that  he  would  stoop 
to  be  made  like  man.  There  was  nothing  God  would 
not  do  to  justify  himself  to  man,  to  show  men  that  he 
did  care  for  them,  that  he  did  love  the  creatures  whom 
he  had  made.  Yes ;  God  had  not  forgotten  man ;  God 
had  not  made  man  in  vain.  God  had  not  sent  man  into 
the  world  to  be  wicked  and  miserable  here,  and  to  perish 
for  ever  hereafter.  Wickedness  and  misery  were  here; 
but  God  had  not  put  them  here,  and  he  would  not  leave 
them  here.  He  would  conquer  them  by  enduring  them. 
Sin  and  misery  tormented  men  ;  then  they  should  torment 
the  Son  of  God  too.  Sin  and  misery  killed  men ;  then 
they  should  kill  the  Son  of  God,  too :  he  would  .aste 
death  for  every  man,  that  men  might  live  by  him.  He 
would  be  made  perfect  by  sufferings  :  not  made  perfectly 
good  (for  that  he  was  already),  but  perfectly  able  to  feel 
for  men,  to  understand  them,  to  help  them ;  because  he 
had  been  tempted  in  all  things  like  as  they. 


XXXV.] 


A  COD  IN  PAIN. 


295 


And  so  on  Good  Friday  did  God  bridge  over  the 
gulf  between  God  and  men.  No  man  can  say  now, 
Why  has  God  sent  man  into  the  world  to  be  miserable, 
while  he  is  happy?  For  God  in  Christ  was  miserable 
once.  No  man  can  say,  God  makes  me  go  through 
pain,  and  torture,  and  death,  while  he  goes  through  none 
of  such  things  :  for  God  in  Christ  endured  pain,  torture, 
death,  to  the  uttermost.  And  so  God  is  a  being  which 
man  can  love,  admire,  have  fellow-feeling  for;  cling  to 
God  with  all  the  noble  feelings  of  his  heart,  with  ad- 
miration, gratitude,  and  tenderness,  even  on  this  day 
with  pity. — As  Christ  himself  said,  'When  I  am  lifted 
up,  I  will  draw  all  men  to  me.' 

And  no  man  can  say  now,  What  has  God  to  do  with 
sufferer?— sick,  weak,  deformed  wretches  ?  If  he  had 
cared  for  them,  would  he  have  made  them  thus1?  For 
we  can  answer,  However  sick,  or  weak  they  may  be, 
God  in  Christ  has  been  as  weak  as  they.  God  has 
shared  their  sufferings,  and  has  been  made  perfect  by 
sufferings,  that  they  might  be  made  perfect  also.  God 
has  sanctified  suffering,  pain,  and  sorrow  upon  his  cross, 
and  made  them  holy;  as  holy  as  health,  and  strength, 
and  happiness  are.  And  so  on  Good  Friday  God 
bridged  over  the  gulf  between  man  and  man.  He  has 
shown  that  God  is  charity  and  love ;  and  that  the  way 
to  live  for  ever  in  God  is  to  live  for  ever  in  that  charity 
and  love  to  all  mankind  which  God  showed  this  day 
upon  the  cross. 

And,  therefore,  all  charity  is  rightly  called  Christian 
charity ;  for  it  is  Christ,  and  the  news  of  Good  Friday, 


296 


A  GOD  IN  PAIN. 


which  first  taught  men  to  have  charity;  to  look  on  the 
poor,  the  afflicted,  the  weak,  the  orphan,  with  love,  pity, 
respect.  By  the  sight  of  a  suffering  and  dying  God, 
God  has  touched  the  hearts  of  men,  that  they  might 
learn  to  love  and  respect  suffering  and  dying  men ;  and 
in  the  face  of  every  mourner,  see  the  face  of  Christ,  who 
died  for  them.  Because  Christ  the  sufferer  is  their  elder 
brother,  all  sufferers  are  their  brothers  likewise.  Because 
Christ  tasted  pain,  shame,  misery,  death  for  all  men, 
therefore  we  are  bound  this  day  to  pray  for  all  men,  that 
they  may  have  their  share  in  the  blessings  of  Christ's 
death;  not  to  look  on  them  any  longer  as  aliens, 
strangers,  enemies,  parted  from  us  and  each  other  and 
God;  but  whether  wise  or  foolish,  sick  or  well,  happy 
or  unhappy,  alive  or  dead,  as  brothers.  We  are  bound 
to  pray  for  his  Holy  Church  as  one  family  of  brothers ; 
for  all  ranks  of  men  in  it,  that  each  of  them  may  learn 
to  give  up  their  own  will  and  pleasure  for  the  sake  of 
doing  their  duty  in  their  calling,  as  Christ  did ;  to  pray 
for  Jews,  Turks,  Heathens,  and  Infidels;  as  for  God's 
lost  children,  and  our  lost  brothers,  that  God  would 
bring  them  home  to  his  flock,  and  touch  their  hearts 
by  the  news  of  his  sufferings  for  them ;  that  they  may 
taste  the  inestimable  comfort  of  knowing  that  God  so 
loved  them  as  to  suffer,  to  groan,  to  die  for  them  and 
all  mankind. 


SERMON  XXXVI. 


ON   THE  FALL. 

( Sexagesima  Sunday.) 

Genesis  iii.  12. 

And  the  man  said,  The  woman,  whom  thou  gavest  to  be  with  me, 
she  gave  me  of  the  tree,  and  I  did  eat. 

'"THIS  morning  we  read  the  history  of  Adam's  fall 
A  in  the  first  Lesson.  Now  does  this  story  seem 
strange  to  you,  my  friends  ?  Do  you  say  to  yourselves, 
If  I  had  been  in  Adam's  place,  I  should  never  have  been 
so  foolish  as  Adam  was  ?  If  you  do  say  so,  you  cannot 
have  looked  at  the  story  carefully  enough.  For  if  you 
do  look  at  it  carefully,  I  believe  you  will  find  enough  in 
it  to  show  you  that  it  is  a  very  natural  story,  that  we 
have  the  same  nature  in  us  that  Adam  had ;  that  we  are 
indeed  Adam's  children ;  and  that  the  Bible  speaks  truth 
when  it  says,  '  Adam  begat  a  son  after  his  own  likeness.' 

Now,  let  us  see  how  Adam  fell,  and  what  he  did  when 
he  fell. 

Adam,  we  find,  was  not  content  to  be  in  the  image  of 
God.  He  wanted,  he  and  his  wife,  to  be  as  gods,  know- 
ing good  and  evil.  Now  do,  I  beseech  you,  think  a 
moment  carefully,  and  see  what  that  means. 

Adam  was  not  content  to  be  in  the  likeness  of  God ; 


2<jS 


ON  THE  FALL. 


[SERM. 


to  copy  God  by  obeying  God.  He  wanted  to  be  a  little 
god  himself;  to  know  what  was  good  for  him,  and  what 
was  evil  for  him ;  whereas  God  had  told  him,  as  it  were, 
You  do  not  know  what  is  good  for  you,  and  what  is  evil 
for  you.  I  know;  and  I  tell  you  to  obey  me;  not  to 
eat  of  a  certain  tree  in  the  garden. 

But  pride  and  self-will  rose  up  in  Adam's  heart.  He 
wanted  to  show  that  he  did  know  what  was  good  for  him. 
He  wanted  to  be  independent,  and  show  that  he  could 
do  what  he  liked,  and  take  care  of  himself;  and  so  he 
ate  the  fruit  which  he  was  forbidden  to  eat,  partly  because 
it  was  fair  and  well-tasted,  but  still  more  to  show  his  own 
independence. 

Now,  surely  this  is  natural  enough.  Have  we  not 
all  done  the  very  same  thing  in  our  time,  nay,  over  and 
over  again?  When  we  were  children,  were  we  never 
forbidden  to  do  something  which  we  wished  to  do? 
Were  we  never  forbidden,  just  as  Adam  was,  to  take  an 
apple — something  pleasant  to  the  eye,  and  good  for 
food?  And  did  we  not  long  for  it,  and  determine  to 
have  it  all  the  more,  because  it  was  forbidden,  just  as 
Adam  and  Eve  did ;  so  that  we  wished  for  it  much  more 
than  we  should  if  our  parents  had  given  it  to  us  ?  Did 
we  not  in  our  hearts  accuse  our  parents  of  grudging  it  to 
us,  and  listen  to  the  voice  of  the  tempter,  as  Eve  did, 
when  the  serpent  tried  to  make  out  that  God  was 
niggardly  to  her,  and  envious  of  her,  and  did  not  want 
her  to  be  wise,  lest  she  should  be  too  like  God  ? 

Have  we  not  said  in  our  heart,  'Why  should  my  father 
grudge  me  that  nice  thing  when  he  takes  it  himself? 


XXXVI.] 


ON  THE  FALL. 


299 


He  wants  to  keep  it  all  to  himself.  Why  should  not  I 
have  a  share  of  it?  He  says  it  will  hurt  me.  How 
does  he  know  that  ?  It  does  not  hurt  him.  I  must  be 
the  best  judge  of  whether  it  will  hurt  me.  I  do  not 
believe  that  it  will :  but  at  least  it  is  but  fair  that  I  should 
try.  I  will  try  for  myself.  I  will  run  the  chance.  Why 
should  I  be  kept  like  a  baby,  as  if  I  had  no  sense  or  will 
of  my  own  ?  I  will  know  the  right  and  the  wrong  of  it 
for  myself.    I  will  know  the  good  and  evil  of  it  myself. 

Have  we  not  said  that,  every  one  of  us,  in  our  hearts, 
when  we  were  young? — And  is  not  that  just  what  the 
Bible  says  Adam  and  Eve  said  ? 

And  then,  because  we  were  Adam's  children,  with  his 
fallen  nature  in  us,  and  original  sin,  which  we  inherited 
from  him,  we  could  not  help  longing  more  and  more 
after  what  our  parents  had  forbidden ;  we  could  think, 
perhaps,  of  nothing  else ;  cared  for  no  pleasure,  no  play, 
because  we  could  not  get  that  one  thing  which  our 
parents  had  told  us  not  to  touch.  And  at  last  we  fell, 
and  sinned,  and  took  the  thing  on  the  sly. 

And  then  ? 

Did  it  not  happen  to  us,  as  it  did  to  Adam,  that  a 
feeling  of  shame  and  guiltiness  came  over  us  at  once? 
Yes ;  of  shame.  We  intended  to  feed  our  own  pride : 
but  instead  of  pride  came  shame  and  fear  too ;  so  in- 
stead of  rising,  we  had  fallen  and  felt  that  we  had  fallen. 
Just  so  it  was  with  Adam.  Instead  of  feeling  all  the 
prouder  and  grander  when  he  had  sinned,  he  became 
ashamed  of  himself  at  once,  he  hardly  knew  why.  We 
had  intended  to  set  ourselves  up  against  our  parents  j 


3°°  ON  THE  FALL.  [sERM. 


but  instead,  we  became  afraid  of  them.  We  were  always 
fancying  that  they  would  find  us  out.  We  were  afraid  of 
looking  them  in  the  face.  Just  so  it  was  with  Adam. 
He  heard  the  word  of  the  Lord  God,  Jesus  Christ,  walk- 
ing in  the  garden.  Did  he  go  to  meet  him ;  thank  him 
for  that  pleasant  life,  pleasant  earth,  for  the  mere  blessing 
of  existence  ?  No.  He  hid  himself  among  the  trees  of 
the  garden.  But  why  hide  himself?  Even  if  he  had 
given  up  being  thankful  to  God ;  even  if  he  had  learned 
from  the  devil  to  believe  that  God  grudged  him,  envied 
him,  had  deceived  him,  about  that  fruit,  why  run  away 
and  hide?  He  wanted  to  be  as  God,  wise,  knowing 
good  and  evil  for  himself.  Why  did  he  not  stand  out 
boldly  when  he  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  God  and 
say,  I  am  wise  now ;  I  am  as  a  God  now,  knowing  good 
and  evil ;  I  am  no  longer  to  be  led  like  a  child,  and  kept 
strictly  by  rules  which  I  do  not  understand;  I  have  a 
right  to  judge  for  myself,  and  choose  for  myself;  and  I 
have  done  it,  and  you  have  no  right  to  complain  of  me  ? 

Perhaps  Adam  had  intended,  when  he  ate  the  fruit, 
to  stand  up  for  himself,  with  some  such  fine  words ;  as 
children  intend  when  they  disobey. 

But  when  it  came  to  the  point,  away  went  all  Adam's 
self-confidence,  all  Adam's  pride,  all  Adam's  fine  notions 
of  what  he  had  a  right  to  do;  and  he  hides  himself 
miserably,  like  a  naughty  and  disobedient  child.  And 
then,  like  a  mean  and  cowardly  one,  when  he  is  called 
out  and  forced  to  answer  for  himself,  he  begins  to  make 
pitiful  excuses.  He  has  not  a  word  to  say  for  himself. 
He  throws  the  blame  on  his  wife ;  it  was  all  the  woman's 


XXXVI.] 


ON  THE  FALL. 


fault  now— indeed,  God's  fault.  'The  woman  whom 
thou  gavest  to  be  with  me,  she  gave  me  of  the  tree,  and 
I  did  eat.' 

My  dear  friends,  if  we  want  a  proof  that  the  Bible  is 
a  true,  divine,  inspired  book,  we  need  go  no  further  than 
this  one  story.  For,  my  friends,  have  we  never  said  the 
same?  When  we  felt  that  we  had  done  wrong;  when 
the  voice  of  God  and  of  Christ  in  our  hearts  was  rebuking 
us  and  convincing  us  of  sin,  have  we  never  tried  to  shift 
the  blame  off  our  own  shoulders,  and  lay  it  on  God  him- 
self, and  the  blessings  which  he  has  given  us  ?  on  one's 
wife — on  one's  family — on  money — on  one's  youth,  and 
health,  and  high  spirits  ? — in  a  word,  on  the  good  things 
which  God  has  given  us  ? 

Ah,  my  friends,  we  are  indeed  Adam's  children ;  and 
have  learned  his  lesson,  and  inherited  his  nature  only  too 
fearfully  well.  For  what  Adam  did  but  once,  we  have 
done  a  hundred  times;  and  the  mean  excuse  which 
Adam  made  but  once,  we  make  again  and  again. 

But  the  loving  Lord  has  patience  with  us,  as  he  had 
with  Adam,  and  does  not  take  us  at  our  word.  He  did 
not  say  to  Adam,  You  lay  the  blame  upon  your  wife ; 
then  I  will  take  her  from  you,  and  you  shall  see  then 
where  the  blame  lies.  Ungrateful  to  me  !  you  shall  live 
henceforth  alone.  And  he  does  not  say  to  us,  You 
make  all  the  blessings  which  I  have  given  you  an  excuse 
for  sinning !  Then  I  will  take  them  from  you,  and  leave 
you  miserable,  and  pour  out  my  wrath  upon  you  to  the 
uttermost ! 

Not  so.    Our  God  is  not  such  a  God  as  that.  He 


3°2  ON  THE  FALL.  [SERM. 


is  full  of  compassion  and  long-suffering,  and  of  tender 
mercy.  He  knows  our  frame,  and  remembers  that  we 
are  but  dust.  He  sends  us  out  into  the  world,  as  he 
sent  Adam,  to  learn  experience  by  hard  lessons ;  to  eat 
our  bread  in  the  sweat  of  our  brow,  till  we  have  found 
out  our  own  weakness  and  ignorance,  and  have  learned 
that  we  cannot  stand  alone,  that  pride  and  self-dependence 
will  only  lead  us  to  guilt,  and  misery,  and  shame,  and 
meanness ;  and  that  there  is  no  other  name  under  heaven 
by  which  we  can  be  saved  from  them,  but  only  the  name 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

He  is  the  woman's  seed,  who,  so  God  promised,  was 
to  bruise  the  head  of  the  serpent.  And  he  has  bruised 
it.  He  is  the  woman's  seed— a  man,  as  we  are  men, 
with  a  human  nature,  but  one  without  spot  of  sin,  to 
make  us  free  from  sin. 

Let  us  look  up  to  him  as  often  as  we  find  our  nature 
dragging  us  down,  making  us  proud  and  self-willed, 
greedy  and  discontented,  longing  after  this  and  that. 
Let  us  trust  in  him,  ask  him,  for  his  grace  day  by  day; 
ask  him  to  shape  and  change  us  into  his  likeness,  that 
we  may  become  daily  more  and  more  free;  free  from 
sin ;  free  from  this  miserable  longing  after  one  thing  and 
another;  free  from  our  bad  habits,  and  the  sin  which 
does  so  easily  beset  us ;  free  from  guilty  fear,  and  coward 
dread  of  God.  Let  us  ask  him,  I  say,  to  change,  and 
purify,  and  renew  us  day  by  day,  till  we  come  to  his 
likeness ;  to  the  stature  of  perfect  men,  free  men,  men 
who  are  not  slaves  to  their  own  nature,  slaves  to  their 
own  pride,  slaves  to  their  own  vanity,  slaves  of  their  own 


XXXVI.] 


ON  THE  FALL. 


bad  tempers,  slaves  to  their  own  greediness  and  foul  lusts  : 
but  free,  as  the  Lord  Christ  was  free ;  able  to  keep  their 
bodies  in  subjection,  and  rise  above  nature  by  the  eternal 
grace  of  God ;  able  to  use  this  world  without  abusing  it ; 
able  to  thank  God  for  all  the  blessings  of  this  life,  and 
learn  from  them  precious  lessons;  able  to  thank  God 
for  all  the  sorrows  of  this  life,  and  learn  from  them 
wholesome  discipline :  but  yet  able  to  rise  above  them 
all,  and  say,  '  As  long  as  I  hold  fast  to  Christ  the  King 
of  men,  this  world  cannot  harm  me.  My  life,  my  real 
human  life,  does  not  depend  on  my  being  comfortable 
or  uncomfortable  here  below  for  a  few  short  years.  My 
real  life  is  hid  in  God  with  Jesus  Christ,  who,  after  he 
had  redeemed  human  nature  by  his  perfect  obedience, 
and  washed  it  pure  again  in  the  blood  of  his  cross,  for 
ever  sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high ; 
that  so,  being  lifted  up,  he  might  draw  all  men  unto 
himself — even  as  many  as  will  come  to  him,  that  they 
may  have  eternal  life. 


SERMON  XXXVII. 


THE  WORTHY  COMMUNICANT. 


Luke 


I  tell  you,  this  man  went  down  to  his  house  justified  rather  than  the 


HICH  of  these  two  men  was  the  more  fit  to  come 


to  the  Communion  ?  Most  of  you  will  answer, 
The  publican  :  for  he  was  more  justified,  our  Lord  him- 
self says,  than  the  Pharisee.  True  :  but  would  you  have 
said  so  of  your  own  accord,  if  the  Lord  had  not  said  so  ? 
Which  of  the  two  men  do  you  really  think  was  the  better 
man,  the  Pharisee  or  the  publican  ?  Which  of  the  two 
do  you  think  had  his  soul  in  the  safer  state  ?  WTiich  of 
the  two  would  you  rather  be,  if  you  were  going  to  die  ? 
Which  of  the  two  would  you  rather  be,  if  you  were  going 
to  the  Communion?  For  mind,  one  could  not  have 
refused  the  Pharisee,  if  he  had  come  to  the  Communion. 
He  was  in  no  open  sin :  I  may  say,  no  outward  sin  at 
all.  You  must  not  fancy  that  he  was  a  hypocrite,  in  the 
sense  in  which  we  usually  employ  that  word.  I  mean, 
he  was  not  a  man  who  was  leading  a  wicked  life  secretly, 
while  he  kept  up  a  show  of  religion.  He  was  really  a 
religious  man  in  his  own  way,  scrupulous,  and  over- 
scrupulous to  perform  every  duty  to  the  letter.    He  went 


other. 


THE  WORTHY  COMMUNICANT. 


3°5 


to  his  church  to  worship ;  and  he  was  no  lip-worshipper, 
repeating  a  form  of  words  by  rote,  but  prayed  there 
honestly,  concerning  the  things  which  were  in  his  heart. 
He  did  not  say,  either,  that  he  had  made  himself  good. 
If  he  was  wrong  on  some  points,  he  was  not  on  that. 
He  knew  where  his  goodness,  such  as  it  was,  came  from. 
'God,  I  thank  thee,'  he  says,  'that  I  am  what  I  am.' 
What  have  we  in  this  man  ?  one  would  ask  at  first  sight. 
What  reason  for  him  to  stay  away  from  the  Sacrament  ? 
He  would  not  have  thought  himself  that  there  was  any 
reason.  He  would,  probably,  have  thought — '  If  I  am 
not  fit,  who  is  ?  Repent  me  truly  of  my  former  sins  ? 
Certainly.  If  I  have  done  the  least  harm  to  any  one,  I 
shall  be  happy  to  restore  it  fourfold.  If  I  have  neglected 
one,  the  least  of  God's  services,  I  shall  be  only  too  glad 
to  keep  it  all  the  more  strictly  for  the  future. 

'  Intend  to  lead  a  new  life  ?  I  am  leading  one,  and 
trying  to  lead  one  more  and  more  every  day.  I  shall  be 
thankful  to  any  one  who  will  show  me  any  new  service 
which  I  can  offer  to  God,  any  new  act  of  reverence,  any 
new  duty. 

'  I  must  go  in  love  and  charity  with  all  men  ?  I  do 
so.  I  have  not  a  grudge  against  any  human  being.  Of 
course,  I  know  the  world  too  well  to  be  satisfied  with  it. 
I  cannot  shut  my  eyes  to  the  fact  that  millions  are  living 
very  sinful,  shocking  lives — extortioners,  unjust,  adul- 
terers; and  that  three  people  out  of  four  are  going 
straight  to  hell.  I  pity  them,  and  forgive  them  any 
wrong  which  they  have  done  to  me.  What  more  can 
I  do?' 

x 


306 


THE  WORTHY  COMMUNICANT.  [SERM. 


This  is  what  the  Pharisee  would  have  said.  Is  this 
man  fit  to  come  to  the  Communion  ?  At  least  he  him- 
self thinks  so. 

On  the  other  hand,  was  the  publican  fit?  That  is  a 
serious  question ;  one  which  we  cannot  answer,  without 
knowing  more  about  him  than  our  Lord  has  chosen  to 
tell  us.  Many  a  person  is  ready  enough,  in  these  days, 
to  cry  'God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner!'  who  is  fit,  I 
fear,  neither  to  come  to  the  Communion,  nor  to  stay 
away  either. 

It  was  not  so,  I  suppose,  with  the  old  Jews  in  our 
Lord's  time.  The  Pharisees  then  were  hard  legalists, 
who  stood  all  on  works ;  and,  therefore,  if  a  man  broke 
off  from  them,  and  threw  himself  on  God's  grace  and 
mercy,  he  did  it  in  a  simple,  honest,  effectual  way,  like 
this  publican. 

But  now,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  our  Pharisees  have  con- 
trived to  make  themselves  as  proud  and  self-righteous 
about  their  own  faith  and  repentance,  as  the  Jewish 
Pharisees  did  about  their  own  works  and  observances ; 
and  there  has  risen  up  in  England  and  elsewhere  a  very 
ugly  new  hypocrisy.  People  now-a-days  are  too  apt  to 
pride  themselves  on  their  own  convictions  of  sin,  and 
their  own  repentance,  till  they  trust  in  their  repentance 
to  save  them,  and  not  in  Christ,  just  as  the  Pharisee 
trusted  in  his  works  to  save  him,  and  not  in  Christ ;  and 
when  they  pray,  I  cannot  help  fearing  (for  I  am  sure 
many  of  their  religious  books  teach  them  it)  that  they 
pray  very  much  like  that  Pharisee,  'God,  I  thank  thee 
that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are,  carnal,  unconverted, 


XXXVII.]     THE  WORTHY  COMMUNICANT. 


3°7 


unconvinced  of  sin,  nor  even  as  that  plain,  moral,  re- 
spectable man.  I  am  convinced  of  sin ;  I  am  converted ; 
I  have  the  right  frames,  and  the  right  feelings,  and  the 
right  experiences.'  Oh,  of  all  the  cunning  snares  of  the 
devil,  that  I  think  is  the  cunningest.  Well  says  the  old 
proverb — '  The  devil  is  old,  and  therefore  he  knows  many 
things.' 

In  old  times  he  made  men  trust  in  their  own  righteous- 
ness :  and  that  was  snare  enough ;  now  he  has  learnt 
how  to  make  men  actually  trust  in  their  own  sinfulness, 
and  so  turn  the  grace  of  God  into  a  cloak  of  pride,  and 
contempt  of  their  fellow-creatures. 

My  friends,  do  you  think  that  if  the  publican,  after  he 
had  said,  '  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner  !'  had  said  to 
himself,  '  There — how  beautifully  I  have  repented — how 
honest  I  have  been  to  God — I  am  all  right  now9— he 
would  have  gone  down  to  his  house  justified  at  all? 
Not  he.  No  more  will  you  and  I,  my  friends.  If  we 
have  sinned,  what  should  we  be  but  ashamed  of  it  ?  Ay, 
utterly  ashamed.  And  if  we  really  know  what  sin  is — if 
we  really  see  the  sinfulness  of  sin — if  we  really  see  our- 
selves as  God  sees  us — we  shall  be  too  much  shocked  at 
the  sight  of  our  own  hearts  to  have  time  to  boast  of  our 
being  able  to  see  our  own  hearts.  We  shall  be  too  full 
of  loathing  and  hatred  for  our  sins,  too  full  of  longing  to 
get  rid  of  our  sins,  and  to  become  righteous  and  holy, 
even  as  God  is  righteous  and  holy,  to  give  way  to  any 
pride  in  our  own  frames  and  feelings ;  and,  instead  of 
thinking  ourselves  better  men  than  our  neighbours,  be- 
cause we  see  our  sins,  and  fancy  they  do  not  see  theirs, 


3o3 


THE  WORTHY  COMMUNICANT.  [SERM. 


we  shall  be  almost  ready  to  think  ourselves  worse  than 
our  neighbours,  to  think  that  they  cannot  have  so  much 
to  repent  of  as  we ;  and  as  we  grow  in  grace,  we  shall 
see  more  and  more  sin  in  ourselves,  till  we  actually 
fancy  at  times  that  no  one  can  be  as  bad  as  we  are,  and 
in  lowliness  of  mind  esteem  others  better  than  ourselves. 
We  may  carry  that  too  far,  too.  Certainly  there  is  no 
use  in  accusing  ourselves  of  sins  which  we  have  not  com- 
mitted ;  we  have  all  quite  enough  real  sins  to  answer  for 
without  inventing  more.  But  still  that  is  a  better  frame 
of  mind  than  the  other ;  for  no  man  can  be  too  humble, 
while  any  man  can  be  too  proud. 

But  let  us  all  ask  God  to  open  our  eyes,  that  we  may 
see  ourselves  just  as  we  are,  let  our  sins  be  many  or  few. 
Let  us  ask  God  to  convince  us  really  of  sin  by  his  Holy 
Spirit,  and  show  us  what  sin  is,  and  its  exceeding  sinful- 
ness ;  how  ugly  and  foul  sin  is,  how  foolish  and  absurd, 
how  mean  and  ungrateful  toward  that  good  God  who 
wishes  us  nothing  but  good,  and  wishes  us,  therefore,  to 
be  good,  because  goodness  is  the  only  path  to  life  and 
happiness ;  and  then  we  shall  be  so  ashamed  of  ourselves, 
so  afraid  of  our  own  weakness,  so  shocked  at  the 
difference  between  ourselves  and  the  spotless  Lord  Jesus, 
that  we  shall  have  no  time  to  despise  others,  no  time  to 
admire  our  own  frames,  and  feelings,  and  repentances. 
All  we  shall  think  of  is  our  own  sinfulness,  and  God's 
mercy;  and  we  shall  come  eagerly,  if  not  boldly,  to  the 
throne  of  grace,  to  find  grace  and  mercy  to  help  us  in 
the  time  of  need ;  crying,  c  Purge  thou  me,  0  Lord,  or  I 
shall  never  be  pure ;  wash  thou  me,  and  then  alone  shall 


XXXVII.]     THE  WORTHY  COMMUNICANT.  3°9 


I  be  clean.  For  thou  requirest,  not  frames  or  feelings, 
not  pride  and  self-conceit,  but  truth  in  the  inward  parts ; 
and  wilt  make  me  to  understand  wisdom  secretly.' 

Then,  indeed,  we  shall  be  fit  to  come  to  the  Holy 
Communion ;  for  then  we  shall  be  so  ashamed  of  our- 
selves that  we  shall  truly  repent  of  our  sins — so  ashamed 
of  ourselves  that  we  shall  long  and  determine  to  lead 
a  new  life — so  ashamed  of  ourselves  that  we  shall  have 
no  heart  to  look  down  on  any  of  our  neighbours,  or  pass 
hard  judgments  on  them,  but  be  in  love  and  charity  with 
all  men  j  and  so,  in  spite  of  all  our  past  sins,  come  to 
partake  worthily  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Him  who  died 
for  our  sins,  whose  blood  will  wash  them  out  of  our 
hearts,  whose  body  will  strengthen  and  refresh  us,  body 
and  soul,  to  a  new  and  everlasting  life  of  humbleness  and 
thankfulness,  honesty  and  justice,  usefulness  and  love. 


SERMON  XXXVIII. 


OUR  DESERTS. 


Luke  vi.  36—38. 


Be  ye  therefore  merciful,  as  your  Father  also  is  merciful.  Judge 
not,  and  ye  shall  not  be  judged  :  condemn  not,  and  ye  shall  not 
be  condemned  :  forgive,  and  ye  shall  be  forgiven.  Give,  and  it 
shall  be  given  unto  you ;  good  measure,  pressed  down,  and 
shaken  together,  and  running  over,  shall  men  give  into  your 
bosom.  For  with  the  same  measure  that  ye  mete  withal,  it  shall 
be  measured  to  you  again. 

/^\NE  often  hears  complaints  against  this  world,  and 


against  mankind;  one  hears  it  said  that  people 
are  unjust,  unfair,  cruel ;  that  in  this  world  no  man  can 
expect  to  get  what  he  deserves.  And,  of  course,  there 
are  great  excuses  for  saying  so.  There  are  bad  men  in 
the  world  in  plenty,  who  do  villanous  and  cruel  things 
enough ;  and  besides,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  dreadful 
misery  in  the  world,  which  does  not  seem  to  come 
through  any  fault  of  the  poor  creatures  who  suffer  it ; 
misery  of  which  we  can  only  say,  '  Neither  did  this  man 
sin,  nor  his  parents :  but  that  the  glory  of  God  may  be 
made  manifest  in  him.' 

But  still  our  Lord  tells  us  in  the  text,  that,  on  the 
whole,  there  is  order  lying  under  all  the  disorder,  justice 
under  all  the  injustice,  right  under  all  the  wrong;  and 
that  on  the  whole  we  get  what  we  deserve.    '  Be  ye 


OUR  DESERTS. 


therefore  merciful,  as  your  Father  also  is  merciful. 
Judge  not,  and  ye  shall  not  be  judged :  condemn  not, 
and  ye  shall  not  be  condemned :  forgive,  and  ye  shall  be 
forgiven.  Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you ;  good 
measure,  pressed  down,  and  shaken  together,  and  running 
over,  shall  men  give  into  your  bosom.  For  with  the 
same  measure  that  ye  mete  withal,  it  shall  be  measured 
to  you  again.' 

Of  course,  as  I  said  just  now,  it  is  not  always  so. 
None  knew  that  better  than  the  blessed  Lord :  else  why 
did  he  come  to  seek  and  save  that  which  was  lost?  But 
still  the  more  we  look  into  our  own  lives,  the  more  we 
shall  find  our  Lord's  words  true ;  the  more  we  shall  find 
that  on  the  whole,  in  the  long  run,  men  will  be  just  and 
fair  to  us,  and  give  us,  sooner  or  later,  what  we  deserve. 

Now,  to  deserve  a  thing,  properly  means  to  serve  for 
it,  to  work  for  it  and  earn  it,  as  a  natural  consequence. 
If  a  man  puts  his  hand  into  the  fire,  he  deserves  to  burn 
it,  because  it  is  the  nature  of  fire  to  burn,  and  therefore 
it  burns  him,  and  so  he  gets  his  deserts ;  and  if  a  man 
does  wrong,  he  deserves  to  be  unhappy,  because  it  is  the 
nature  of  sin  to  make  the  sinner  unhappy,  and  so  he  gets 
his  deserts.  God  has  not  to  go  out  of  his  way  to  punish 
sin ;  sin  punishes  itself;  and  so  if  a  man  does  right,  he 
becomes  in  the  long  run  happy.  God  has  not  to  go  out 
of  his  way  to  reward  him  and  make  him  happy ;  his  own 
good  deeds  make  him  happy ;  he  earns  happiness  in  the 
comfort  of  a  good  conscience,  and  the  love  and  respect 
of  those  about  him ;  and  so  he  gets  his  deserts.  For 
our  Lord  says,  '  People  in  the  long  run  will  treat  you  as 


3I2 


OUR  DESERTS. 


[SERM. 


you  treat  them.  If  they  feel  and  see  by  experience  that 
you  are  loving  and  kind  to  them,  they  will  be  loving  and 
kind  to  you ;  as  you  do  to  them,  they  will,  in  the  long 
run,  do  to  you.'  They  may  mistake  you  at  first,  even 
dislike  you  at  first.  Did  they  not  mistake,  hate,  crucify 
the  Lord  himself?  and  yet  his  own  rule  came  true  of 
him.  A  few  crucified  him ;  but  now  all  civilized  nations 
worship  him  as  God.  Be  sure,  then,  that  his  rule  will 
come  true  of  you,  though  not  at  first,  yet  in  God's  good 
time.  Therefore  hold  still  in  the  Lord,  and  abide 
patiently ;  and  he  shall  make  thy  righteousness  as  clear 
as  the  light,  and  thy  just  dealing  as  the  noon-day. 

Now  this  is  a  very  blessed  and  comfortable  thought. 
Would  to  God  that  all  of  us,  young  people  especially, 
would  lay  it  to  heart.  How  are  we  to  get  comfortably 
through  this  life  ?  Or,  if  we  are  to  have  sorrows  (as  we 
all  must),  how  can  we  make  those  sorrows  as  light  as 
possible?  How  can  we  make  friends  who  will  comfort 
us  in  those  sorrows,  instead  of  leaving  us  to  bear  our 
burden  alone,  and  turning  their  backs  on  us  just  when 
our  poor  hearts  are  longing  for  a  kind  look  and  a  kind 
word  from  our  neighbours?  Our  Lord  tells  us  now. 
The  same  measure  that  you  mete  withal,  it  shall  be 
measured  to  you  again. 

There  is  his  plan.  It  is  a  very  simple  one.  It  goes 
on  the  same  principle  as  '  He  that  saveth  his  life  shall 
lose  it,  and  he  that  loseth  his  life  shall  save  it.'  If  we 
are  selfish,  and  take  care  only  of  ourselves,  the  day  will 
come  when  our  neighbours  will  leave  us  alone  in  our 
selfishness  to  shift  for  ourselves.    If  we  set  out  de- 


XXXVIII.] 


OUR  DESERTS. 


313 


termining  through  life  to  care  about  other  people  rather 
than  ourselves,  then  they  will  care  for  themselves  more 
than  for  us,  and  measure  their  love  to  us  by  our  measure 
of  love  to  them.  But  if  we  care  for  others,  they  will 
learn  to  care  for  us ;  if  we  befriend  others,  they  will  be- 
friend us.  If  we  show  forth  the  Spirit  of  God  to  them, 
in  kindliness,  generosity,  patience,  self-sacrifice,  the  day 
will  surely  come  when  we  shall  find  that  the  Spirit  ot 
God  is  in  our  neighbours  as  well  as  in  ourselves;  that 
on  the  whole  they  will  be  just  to  us,  and  pay  us  what  we 
have  deserved  and  earned.  Blessed  and  comfortable 
thought,  that  no  kind  word,  kind  action,  not  even  the 
cup  of  cold  water  given  in  Christ's  name,  can  lose  its 
reward.  Blessed  thought,  that  after  all  our  neighbours 
are  our  brothers,  and  that  if  we  remember  that  steadily, 
and  treat  them  as  brothers  now,  they  will  recollect  it  too 
some  day,  and  treat  us  as  brothers  in  return.  Blessed 
thought,  that  there  is  in  the  heart  of  every  man  a  spark 
of  God's  light,  a  grain  of  God's  justice,  which  may  grow 
up  in  him  hereafter,  and  bear  good  fruit  to  eternal  life. 

Yes ;  it  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  find  men  better  than  we 
fancied  them.  A  pleasant  thing;  for  first,  it  makes  us 
love  them  the  more,  and  there  is  nothing  so  pleasant  as 
loving.  And  more ;  it  does  this — it  makes  us  more  in- 
clined to  trust  God's  justice.  We  say  to  ourselves,  Men 
are,  we  find,  really  more  just  and  fair  than  they  seem  to 
us  at  times;  surely  God  must  be  more  just  and  fair  than 
he  seems  to  us  at  times.  For  there  are  times  when  it 
does  seem  a  hard  thing  to  believe  that  God  is  just; 
times  when  the  devil  tempts  poor  suffering  creatures 


314  067?  DESERTS.  [SERM. 


sorely,  and  tries  to  make  them  doubt  their  heavenly 
Father,  and  say  with  David,  What  am  I  the  better  for 
having  done  right?  Surely  in  vain  have  I  cleansed  my 
heart;  in  vain  have  I  washed  my  hands  in  innocency. 
All  the  day  long  have  I  been  punished,  and  chastened 
every  morning.  Yes ;  when  some  poor  woman,  working 
in  the  field,  with  all  the  cares  of  a  family  on  her,  looks 
up  at  great  people  in  their  carriages,  she  is  tempted,  she 
must  be  tempted  to  say  at  times,  1  Why  am  I  to  be  so 
much  worse  off  than  they?  Is  God  just  in  making  me 
so  poor  and  them  so  rich?  It  is  a  foolish  thought.  I 
do  believe  it  is  a  temptation  of  the  devil,  a  deceit  of  the 
devil ;  for  rich  people  are  not  really  one  whit  happier  or 
lighter-hearted  than  poor  ones,  and  all  the  devil  wishes  is 
to  make  poor  people  envy  their  neighbours,  and  mistrust 
God.  But  still  one  cannot  wonder  at  their  faith  failing 
them  at  times.  I  do  not  judge  them,  still  less  condemn 
them ;  for  the  text  forbids  me.  Or  again,  when  some 
poor  creature,  crippled  from  his  youth,  looks  upon  others 
strong  and  active,  cheerful  and  happy.  Think  of  a  de- 
formed child  watching  healthy  children  at  play;  and 
then  think,  must  it  not  be  hard  at  times  for  that  child 
not  to  repine,  and  cry  to  God,  '  Why  hast  thou  made  me 
thus  ?' 

Yes.  I  will  not  go  on  giving  fresh  instances.  The 
world  is  but  too  full  of  them. 

But  when  such  thoughts  trouble  us,  here  is  one 
comfort — ay,  here  is  our  only  comfort — God  must  be 
more  just  than  man.  Whatsoever  appearances  may  seem 
to  make  against  it,  he  must  be.    For  where  did  all  the 


XXXVIII.] 


OUR  DESERTS. 


3<5 


justice  in  the  world  come  from,  but  from  God  ?  Who 
put  the  feeling  of  justice  into  every  man's  heart,  but 
God  himself?  He  is  the  glorious  sun,  perfectly  bright, 
perfectly  pure ;  and  all  the  other  goodness  in  the  world 
is  but  rays  and  beams  of  light  sent  forth  from  his  great 
light.  So  we  may  be  certain  that  God  is  not  only  as 
just  as  man,  but  millions  of  times  more  just;  more  just, 
and  righteous,  and  good  than  all  the  just  men  on  earth 
put  together.  We  can  believe  that.  We  must  believe 
it.  Thousands  have  believed  it  already.  Thousands  of 
holy  sufferers,  in  prisons  and  on  scaffolds,  in  poverty  and 
destitution,  on  sick-beds  of  lingering  torture,  have  believed 
still  that  God  was  just  and  righteous  in  all  his  dealings 
with  them  ;  and  have  cried  in  the  hour  of  their  bitterest 
agony,  '  Though  thou  slay  me,  O  Lord,  yet  will  I  trust 
in  thee !' 

Yes.  God  is  just.  He  has  revealed  that  in  the 
person  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  There  is  God's  likeness. 
There  is  proof  enough  that  God  is  not  one  who  afflicts 
willingly,  or  grieves  the  children  of  men  out  of  any 
neglect  or  spite,  or  respecteth  one  person  more  than 
another.  It  may  seem  hard  to  be  sure  of  that :  unless 
we  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  co-equal  and  co- 
eternal  Son  of  the  Father,  we  never  shall  be  sure  of  it. 
Believing  in  the  message  of  the  ever-blessed  Trinity,"we 
shall  be  sure ;  for  we  shall  be  sure  that,  '  Such  as  the 
Father  is,  such  is  the  Son,  and  such  is  the  Holy  Ghost' 
— perfect  love,  perfect  justice,  perfect  mercy ;  and  there- 
fore we  can  be  sure  that  in  the  world  beyond  the  grave 
the  balance  will  be  made  even,  again,  and  for  ever ;  and 


OUR  DESERTS. 


every  mourner  be  comforted,  and  every  sufferer  be  re- 
freshed, and  every  one  receive  his  due  reward — if  they 
will  only  now  in  this  life  take  the  lesson  of  the  text, 
'Judge  not,  and  you  shall  not  be  judged  :  condemn  not, 
and  you  shall  not  be  condemned  :  forgive,  and  you  shall 
be  forgiven;  for  if  you  forgive  every  one  his  brother 
their  trespasses,  in  like  wise  will  your  heavenly  Father 
forgive  you.'  Do  that;  and  then  you  will  get  youi 
deserts  in  the  life  to  come,  and  by  forgiving,  and  helping, 
and  blessing  others,  deserve  to  be  forgiven,  and  comforted, 
and  blessed  yourselves,  for  the  sake  of  that  Saviour  who 
is  day  and  night  presenting  all  your  good  works  to  his 
Father  and  your  Father,  as  a  precious  and  fragrant  offer- 
ing— a  sacrifice  with  which  the  God  of  love  is  well 
pleased,  because  it  is,  like  himself,  made  up  of  love. 


SERMON  XXXIX. 


THE  LOFTINESS   OF  GOD. 


Isaiah  Ivii.  15. 


For  thus  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eternity,  whose 
name  is  Holy,  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place ;  with  him  also 
that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the 
humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the  contrite  ones. 


'HIS  is  a  grand  text;  one  of  the  grandest  in  the 


whole  Old  Testament ;  one  of  those  the  nearest 
to  the  spirit  of  the  New.  It  is  full  of  Gospel — of  good 
news :  but  it  is  not  the  whole  Gospel.  It  does  not  tell 
us  the  whole  character  of  God.  We  can  only  get  that  in 
the  New.  We  can  get  it  there ;  we  can  get  it  in  that 
most  awful  and  glorious  chapter  which  we  read  for  the 
second  lesson — the  twenty-seventh  chapter  of  St.  Matthew. 
Seen  in  the  light  of  that — seen  in  the  light  of  Christ's 
cross  and  what  it  tells  us,  all  is  clear,  and  all  is  bright, 
and  all  is  full  of  good  news — at  least  to  those  who  are 
humble  and  contrite,  crushed  down  by  sorrow,  and  by 
the  feeling  of  their  own  infirmities. 
But  what  does  the  text  tell  us  ? 
Of  a  high  and  lofty  One,  who  inhabits  eternity. 
Of  a  lofty  God,  Almighty,  incomprehensible ;  so  far 
above  us,  so  different  from  us,  that  we  cannot  picture 


318  THE  LOFTINESS  OF  GOD.  [SERM. 


him  to  ourselves;  of  a  glory  and  majesty  utterly  beyond 
all  human  fancy  or  imagination. 

Of  a  holy  God,  in  whom  is  no  sin,  nor  taint  of  sin ; 
who  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  iniquity ;  who  is  so 
perfect,  that  he  cannot  be  content  with  anything  which 
is  not  as  perfect  as  himself ;  who  looks  with  horror  and 
disgust  on  evil  of  every  shape;  who  cannot  endure  it, 
will  at  last  destroy  it. 

Of  a  God  who  abides  in  eternity — who  cannot  change 
— cannot  alter  his  own  decrees  and  laws,  because  his 
decrees  and  laws  are  right  and  necessary,  and  proceed 
out  of  his  own  character.  If  he  has  said  a  thing,  that 
thing  must  be ;  because  it  is  the  thing  which  ought  to  be. 

How,  then,  shall  we  think  of  this  lofty,  holy,  un- 
changeable God — we  who  are  low,  unholy,  changing 
with  every  wind  that  blows  ? 

Shall  we  say,  '  He  is  so  far  above  us,  that  he  cannot 
feel  for  us  ?  He  is  so  holy  that  he  must  hate  us,  and 
will  our  punishment,  and  our  damnation  for  all  our  sins?' 

'  He  is  eternal,  and  cannot  change  his  will ;  and, 
therefore,  if  he  wills  us  to  perish,  perish  we  must.' 

We  may  think  so  of  God,  and  dread  God,  and  cry 
'Whither  shall  I  flee  from  thy  Spirit,  and  whither  shall 
I  go  from  thy  presence  ?'  We  may  call  to  the  mountains 
to  fall  on  us,  and  to  the  hills  to  cover  us,  till  we  try  to 
forget  at  all  risks  the  thought  of  God  :  and  if  we  do  not, 
there  are  plenty  who  will  do  it  for  us.  The  devil,  who 
slanders  and  curses  God  to  men,  and  men  to  God.  and 
to  each  other — he  will  talk  to  us  of  God  in  this  way. 

And  men  who  preach  the  devil's  doctrine,  will  talk  to 


XXXIX.]  THE  LOFTINESS  OF  GOD. 


319 


us  likewise,  and  say,  'Yes,  God  is  very  dreadful,  and 
very  angry  with  you.  God  certainly  intends  to  damn 
you.  But  /  have  a  plan  for  delivering  you  out  of  God's 
hands ;  /  know  what  you  must  do  to  be  saved  from  God 
— join  my  sect  or  party,  and  believe  and  work  with  me, 
and  then  you  will  escape  God.' 

But,  after  all,  would  it  not  be  wiser,  my  friends,  to 
hold  your  own  tongues,  and  let  God  himself  speak  ? 

If  he  had  not  spoken  in  the  first  place,  what  should 
we  have  known  of  him?  Can  man  by  searching  find 
out  God  ?  We  should  not  have  known  that  there  was 
a  high  and  lofty  One,  who  inhabits  eternity,  if  he  had 
not  told  us.  Had  we  not  better  hear  the  rest  of  his 
message,  and  let  God  finish  his  own  character  of  himself? 

And  what  does  he  say  ? 

'I  dwell — I,  the  high  and  lofty  One,  who  inhabit 
eternity — with  him  also,  who  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble 
spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  revive 
the  heart  of  the  contrite  ones.' 

Oh,  my  friends,  is  not  this  news?  good  news  and 
unexpected  news,  perhaps,  but  still  as  true  as  what  went 
before  it?  God  hath  said  the  one,  and  we  believe  it: 
and  now  he  says  the  other ;  and  shall  we  not  believe  it 
too? 

Come,  then,  thou  humble  soul ;  thou  crushed  and  con- 
trite soul ;  thou  who  fearest  that  thou  art  not  worthy  of 
God's  care;  thou  from  whom  God  has  taken  so  much, 
that  thou  fearest  that  he  will  take  all — come  and  hear 
the  Lord's  message  to  thee — God's  own  message;  no 
devil's  message,  or  man's  message,  but  God's  own. 


320 


THE  LOFTINESS  OF  GOD. 


[germ. 


'I  will  not  contend  for  ever,  neither  will  I  be  always 
wroth ;  for  then  the  spirit  would  fail  before  me,  and  the 
souls  which  I  have  made.  I  have  seen  thy  ways,  and 
will  heal  thee.  I  will  lead  thee,  also,  and  restore 
comforts  to  thee  and  to  thy  mourners.  I  create  the  fruit 
of  the  lips.  I  give  men  cause  to  thank  me,  and  delight 
in  giving.  Peace,  peace  to  him  that  is  near,  and  to  him 
that  is  far  off,  saith  the  Lord.  If  thou  art  near  me,  thou 
art  safe ;  for  if  1  were  to  take  all  else  from  thee,  I  should 
not  take  myself  from  thee.  Though  thou  walkest  through 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  be  with  thee. 
And  if  thou  art  far  off  from  me,  wandering  in  folly  and 
sin,  I  cry  peace  to  thee  still.  Why  should  I  wish  to  be 
at  war  with  any  of  my  creatures  ?  saith  the  Lord.  My 
will  is,  that  thou  shouldst  be  at  peace.  I  am  at  peace 
myself,  and  I  wish  to  make  all  my  creatures  at  peace 
also,  and  thee  among  the  rest.  I  am  whole  and  perfect 
myself,  and  I  wish  to  heal  all  my  creatures,  and  make 
them  whole  and  perfect  also,  and  thee  among  the  rest 

'  But  the  wicked  ?  Ay,  this  is  their  very  misery,  that 
there  is  no  peace  to  them.  I  want  them  to  enter  into 
my  peace,  and  they  will  not.  I  am  at  peace  with  them, 
saith  the  Lord.  I  owe  them  no  grudge,  poor  wretches. 
But  they  will  not  be  at  peace  with  themselves.  They 
are  like  the  troubled  sea,  which  casts  up  mire  and  dirt, 
and  fouls  itself.  I  cast  up  no  mire  nor  dirt.  I  foul 
nothing.  I  tempt  no  man.  I,  the  good  God,  create  no 
evil.  If  the  troubled  sea  fouls  itself,  so  do  the  wicked 
make  themselves  miserable,  and  punish  themselves  by 
their  own  lusts,  which  war  in  their  members.    But  they 


XXXIX.]  THE  LOFTINESS  OF  GOD. 


321 


cannot  alter  me,  saith  the  Lord ;  they  cannot  change  my 
temper,  my  character,  my  everlasting  name.  I  am  that 
I  am,  who  inhabit  eternity;  and  no  creature,  and  no 
creature's  sin,  can  make  me  other  than  I  am. 

And  what  is  that?  What  is  the  name,  what  is  the 
character,  what  is  the  temper  of  him  who  inhabits 
eternity  ?    Look  on  the  cross,  and  see. 

The  cross,  at  least,  will  tell  you  what  kind  of  a  God 
your  God  is.  A  good  God ;  a  God  of  love ;  a  God  of 
boundless  forbearance  and  long-suffering.  Good  God ! 
The  folly  and  madness  of  men's  hearts,  who  look  on 
God  dying  on  the  cross  for  them,  and  begin  forthwith 
puzzling  their  brains  as  to  how  he  died  for  them;  how 
Christ's  blood  washes  away  their  sins ;  how  it  is  applied, 
and  to  whom  ;  puzzling  their  brains  with  theories  of  the 
atonement,  and  with  predestination,  and  satisfaction,  and 
forensic  justification,  and  particular  redemption,  and  long 
words  which  (four  out  of  five  of  them)  are  not  in  the 
Bible,  but  are  spun  out  of  men's  own  minds,  as  spiders' 
webs  are  from  spiders — and,  like  them,  mostly  fit  to 
hamper  poor  harmless  flies. 

How  Christ's  death  takes  away  thy  sins,  thou  wilt 
never  know  on  earth — perhaps  not  in  heaven.  It  is  a 
mystery  which  thou  must  believe  and  adore.  But  why 
he  died,  thou  canst  see  at  the  first  glance — if  thou  hast 
a  human  heart,  and  wilt  look  at  what  God  means  thee 
to  look  at — Christ  upon  his  cross.  He  died  because  he 
was  love — love  itself — love  boundless,  unconquerable, 
unchangeable — love  which  inhabits  eternity,  and  there- 
fore could  not  be  hardened  or  foiled  by  any  sin  or 

Y 


322 


THE  LOFTINESS  OF  GOD.  [SERM. 


rebellion  of  man,  but  must  love  men  still ;  must  go  out 
to  seek  and  save  them ;  must  dare,  suffer  any  misery, 
shame,  death  itself,  for  their  sake ;  just  because  it  is 
absolute  and  perfect  love,  which  inhabits  eternity. 

Look  at  that — look  at  the  sight  of  God's  character, 
which  the  cross  gives  thee ;  and  then,  instead  of  being 
terrified  at  God's  will  and  decree  being  unchangeable 
and  eternal,  it  will  be  the  greatest  possible  comfort  to 
thee  that  God's  will  is  unchangeable  and  eternal,  because 
thou  wilt  see  from  the  cross  that  it  is  a  good  will — a  will 
of  mercy,  forbearance,  long-suffering  towards  thee  and  all 
mankind,  eternal  in  the  heavens  as  God  himself. 

Then  let  those  be  afraid  who  are  not  afraid ;  and  let 
those  who  are  afraid,  take  heart.  Let  those  who  think 
they  stand,  take  heed  lest  they  fall.  Let  those  who 
think  they  see,  take  care  that  they  be  not  blind.  Let 
those  be  afraid  who  fancy  themselves  right  and  above 
all  mistakes,  lest  they  should  be  full  of  ugly  sins  when 
they  fancy  themselves  most  religious  and  devout.  Let 
those  be  afraid  who  are  fond  of  advising  others,  lest  they 
should  be  in  more  need  of  their  own  medicine  than  their 
patients  are.  Let  those  fear  who  pride  themselves  on 
their  cunning,  lest  with  all  their  cunning  they  only  lead 
themselves  into  their  own  trap. 

But  those  who  are  afraid,  let  them  take  heart.  For 
what  says  the  high  and  holy  One,  who  inhabits  eternity?' 
'  I  dwell  with  him  that  is  of  a  humble  and  contrite  heart, 
to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart 
of  the  contrite  ones.' 

Let  them  take  heart.    Do  you  feel  that  you  have  lost 


XXXIX.] 


THE  LOFTINESS  OF  GOD. 


323 


your  way  in  life  ?  Then  God  himself  will  show  you  your 
way.  Are  you  utterly  helpless,  worn  out,  body  and  soul  ? 
Then  God's  eternal  love  is  ready  and  willing  to  help  you 
up,  and  revive  you.  Are  you  wearied  with  doubts  and 
terrors  ?  Then  God's  eternal  light  is  ready  to  show  you 
your  way ;  God's  eternal  peace  ready  to  give  you  peace. 
Do  you  feel  yourself  full  of  sins  and  faults  ?  Then  take 
heart ;  for  God's  unchangeable  will  is,  to  take  away  those 
sins  and  purge  you  from  those  faults. 

Are  you  tormented  as  Job  was,  over  and  above  all 
your  sorrows,  by  mistaken  kindness,  and  comforters  in 
whom  is  no  comfort;  who  break  the  bruised  reed  and 
quench  the  smoking  flax;  who  tell  you  that  you  must 
be  wicked,  and  God  must  be  angry  with  you,  or  all  this 
would  not  have  come  upon  you?  Job's  comforters  did 
so,  and  spoke  very  righteous-sounding  words,  and  took 
great  pains  to  justify  God  and  to  break  poor  Job's  heart, 
and  made  him  say  many  wild  and  foolish  words  in 
answer,  for  which  he  was  sorry  afterwards ;  but  after  all, 
the  Lord's  answer  was,  '  My  wrath  is  kindled  against  you 
three,  for  you  have  not  spoken  of  me  the  thing  which 
was  right,  as  my  servant  Job  hath.  Therefore  my  servant 
Job  shall  pray  for  you,  for  him  will  I  accept ;'  as  he  will 
accept  every  humble  and  contrite  soul  who  clings,  amid 
all  its  doubts,  and  fears,  and  sorrows,  to  the  faith  that 
God  is  just  and  not  unjust,  merciful  and  not  cruel,  con- 
descending and  not  proud — that  his  will  is  a  good  will, 
and  not  a  bad  will — that  he  hateth  nothing  that  he  hath 
made,  and  willeth  the  death  of  no  man ;  and  in  that 
faith  casts  itself  down  like  Job,  in  dust  and  ashes  before 


324 


THE  LOFTINESS  OF  GOD. 


the  majesty  of  God,  content  not  to  understand  his  ways 
and  its  own  sorrows;  but  simply  submitting  itself  and 
resigning  itself  to  the  good  will  of  that  God  who  so  loved 
the  world  that  he  spared  not  his  only  begotten  Son,  but 
freely  gave  him  for  us. 


THE  END. 


i 


CAMBRI OGE  '. — PRINTED  BY  ].  PALMER. 


CHARLES  KINGSLEY'S  WORKS. 


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«%    Other  Volumes  to  follow. 


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EDITED  BY  HENRY  CRAIK,  M.A.,  LL.D. 

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THE    STATE    IN  RELATION 

TO  LABOUR.  W.  Stanley  Jxi  msl 
LL.D.,  M.A.,  F.R  S. 
THE     STATE    AND  THE 
CHDRCH.    Hon.  A.  D.  Elliot, 


CENTRALGOVERNMENT.  H. 

D.  Traill,  D.C.L.,  late  Fellow  of 
St.  John's  College,  Oxford. 

THE  ELECTORATE  AND  THE 
LEGISLATURE.  Spencer  Wal- 
pole,  Author  of  "The  History  of 
England  from  1815." 

LOCAL  GOVERNMENT.    M.  D. 

THEHANATIONAL  BUDGET: 
THE  NATIONAL  DEBT,  TAXES, 
AND  RATES.    A.  J.  Wilson. 

THE  STATE  IN  ITS  RELA- 
TION TO  EDUCATION.  Henry 
Craik,  M.A,  LL.D. 

THE  POOR  LAW.  Rev.  T.  W. 
Fowle.  M.A 

THE  STATE  IN  RELATION  TO 
TRADE.    Sir  T.  H.  Farrer,  Bt. 


THE  LAND  LAWS.  Professor 
F.  Pollock,  late  Fellow  of  Trinity 
College,  Cambridge. 

FOREIGN  RELATIONS. 
Spencer  Walpole,  Author  of  ' '  The 
History  of  England  from  1815." 

COLONIES  AND  DEPEN- 
DENCIES.    Part  I.  INDIA.  By 

J.  S.  Cotton,  M.A. 
Part  II  THE  COLONIES.   By  E. 
J.  Payne,  M.A 


M  ACM  ILL  AN  AND  CO.,  LONDON. 


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